


Fragrance lingers, speaks the truth

by Kalevalas



Category: Harlots (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-10-13 13:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20582945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalevalas/pseuds/Kalevalas
Summary: Charlotte the flight attendant gets a new passenger





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I am terribly late to the Harlots party, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head, and had to write it down.  
I don't have a beta, English isn't my first language and commas are my enemy. So there.

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

“Ladies and gentlemen flight UA934 for London is ready to open it’s priority boarding. We would like to welcome our first and business class passengers, star alliance card holders and…”

Finally. Isabella gathered her things and stood up in the crowd that had been waiting for more than two hours to board.

The flight she was taking home had been delayed again and again, and she could not wait to sit back, close her eyes and prepare for the upcoming week with her family. She had said goodbye to her driver with wishes of happy holidays and a Merry Christmas, strolled through the airport and browsed the shopping section, where she picked up some gifts for herself.

Mostly sweets – the suitcase rolling behind her, was full of caramels and other goodies that were easy to hide in a purse.

Resting in the pocket of her overcoat was also a small flacon perfume that she had bought just because it looked pretty. She hadn't even taken the time to smell it or look at the price - she had just bought it because she wanted to have it, and give herself something nice. 

It was ridiculous really. Her family was so rich, that if she wanted to, she could buy the airplane she was about to board. They owned a private jet, but whenever she flew in it, she felt like she got pulled further and further into the cage her family had built around her. Her brother being the main architect of that cage. But flying with other people, that were going wherever it was they were going, gave her a feeling of freedom.

Walking to the check-in, she took out her phone, that held her boarding pass, but she was cut off by a man who hurried in front of her.

He was wearing a pressed suit that looked expensive, had slick hair and an arrogant face.

He stepped directly in front of her and beeped himself through the doors.

“Sorry love,” He said, and glanced back over his shoulder to look at her.

“Oh!” his face turned into one of surprise, “I’m really sorry – I didn’t realize – I didn’t mean to cut in front of you! Aren’t you…”

Isabella quickly put her phone on the scanner, walked through the mechanical doors and without sparring him a look she said, “No, I am not” and hurried past him.

Sitting in her designated seat in first class, she closed her eyes. She was a hypocrite - she couldn't deny it. Flying together towards a common destination with strangers, who all had their own doubts and worries felt like freedom to her, but sitting in coach was something that she didn’t feel like repeating again.

She had done it one time when she had been particularly desperate.

Her and her brother had been forced to go to a formal meeting in Stockholm, and when she went anywhere with Harcourt, they flew in the private jet.

He had taken full advantage of the privacy of the jet, and the teasing, bullying and groping, that she had endured from him for longer than she wanted to remember, had eventually left her with yet another scar on her soul, and many blue bruises hidden underneath her clothes.

After a dreadful dinner, where she had spent most of the time trying to remove his hand from her thigh, the thought of going back to the secluded jet the next morning, had been more than enough to send her into a panic. She had excused herself, gone straight back to the hotel, and for the first time in her life, booked a commercial flight home.

But in her eager to escape Harcourt, she had forgotten that her face was one that many people knew. Still, when she had sat in the bliss away from Harcourt and the jet, she had decided that this was the only way she was going to travel from now on.

Though the next time when she had booked a flight, she had been sure to choose ‘First Class’.

That was almost a year ago, and now, when the plane was in the air, she looked out at the puffy clouds and felt calm. She almost didn’t hear the voice asking her for what drink she would like.

“Ma’am sorry – could I offer you something to drink?”

Isabella looked away from the window and up to ask for a ‘water’, but her order was caught in her throat, because the flight attendant who was trying to serve her, was simply stunning.

The woman could have worn a potato sack and Isabella would still have stared at her. As it where, she was dressed in a crème colored uniform that hugged her hips, a white silk blouse and a small red scarf tied around her neck. Isabella's eyes darted to the little name tag on the blouse. It read ‘Charlotte’.

“Ehm,” Isabella cleared her throat and repositioned herself in her seat, “Yes, sorry, I zoned out for a minute there. Could I have a sparkling water please?”

Charlotte quickly got out the water, a glass and started pouring for Isabella.

“Water? Nothing stronger for you?” Charlotte smirked, “You know you can have whatever you want from this cart?” She gestured to the little wagon in front of her.

“Oh,” Isabella chuckled, “Yes, I know. But no thank you - I think I’m fine with water.”

“I would take full advantage of this cart if I were you,” Charlotte smiled as she took a little tong out and clicked it, “Lemon?”

Isabella was staring again.

‘Click, click’ Charlotte clicked the tong.

“Yes, please.”

Isabella never took lemon in her water, but somehow it seemed that keeping Charlotte around for just the time it would take her to ad a slize of lemon to her glass, was the best idea she had had all day.

She took the glass from Charlotte, gestured to the wagon and said, “I would invite you for whatever you would like, but I’m not sure if that’s allowed.”

Charlotte laughed, “I wish it were, but alas I’m stuck with bottled water and bad coffee in the front. Another time perhaps.” And with that she _winked _at Isabella and swayed on to serve the other passengers.

Isabella’s eyes got wide. Did she just _wink_ at her? Did she just say '_another time perhaps_?'

Twisting around in her seat, she took another look at the intriguing woman, who was now chatting with a man who seemed to be just as flustered as Isabella had been.

Puffing and turning back in her seat, she mentally slapped herself.

She’s a flight attendant for god’s sake, she scolded and got out her reading glasses , she probably flirts with everyone.

And with a sigh she put her headphones in, chose a movie and took a sip of water that now tasted like lemon. She found that she didn’t dislike it.

* * *

_**Charlotte**_

The lights in the cabin had been dimmed and the artificial little stars that dotted the ceiling, had been turned on.

Charlotte let out a breath and looked over the seats. The atmosphere in the airplane at this time was her favorite – everyone had tucked themselves in, and surrendered themselves to whatever sleep would come to them. The quiet was now just a soft hum from the engines and a few snores.

Walking her way back to the deck, she almost tripped over a long leg that was stretched out into the aisle.

Carefully, Charlotte stepped around it, and looked at the person who had pushed themself out of their seat. It was the woman from earlier on. The one who had gotten that sweet blush in her cheeks when Charlotte had winked at her.

A lot of passengers flirted with Charlotte, and she didn’t really mind it, but it seldom happened that she was the one to initiate it. She knew she had a talent for it, and she just hadn’t been able to stop herself with this woman. She had taken one look at her, and decided that she was the most beautiful person that she had ever seen.

How often did that ever happen? Not often, Charlotte had told herself.

At the moment it looked like the woman had fallen asleep in the middle of watching something. Charlotte reached up to the overhead bin and pulled out a blanket – she didn’t want the woman to freeze while she slept, so she bended down and draped it over her.

Fast asleep and wearing glasses that were a little askew, Charlotte thought she looked adorable. Reflected in the glasses, where a blue glow from the in flight information playing on the screen. Charlotte pushed a button, and it turned off.

The woman had lovely raven hair that she had pulled into a messy bun, but a few locks had escaped and were now rested on her cheek.

‘Could you look any sweeter?’ Charlotte thought, and shook her head. If her Ma’ could see her now, she would tell her to stop acting like a creep.

She straightened herself up, and grinned as she turned around and walked the last steps to the staff deck.

“Oh am I happy to not be working coach tonight!” Emily hissed as she poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Charlotte, when she stepped in through the curtain.

Charlotte sat down and gratefully started sipping her coffee with closed eyes. “Why? What’s going on in the cheap seats?” She asked of Emily and leaned back to enjoy the gossip she knew was coming her way.

Emily was the chief purser on most of the redeye flights they worked together, and she made it her personal business to be informed about everything that was happening on board.

“Well, there’s the usual pervert; he’s in 23D,” Emily explained while checking the monitor next to her seat, “and then there’s that big family who won’t go to sleep because their time rhythm is fucked up - annoying everyone around them.”

Pressing some buttons, she added, “Oh, and then Lucy is dealing with a large amount of vomit – not from children, mind you – but from two men who just ate seafood before takeoff, so you can also imagine how the toilets look.”

Charlotte wrinkled her nose, “I’m looking forward to hearing all the lovely details from Lucy when we land.”

“Oh!” Emily leaned forward and touched Charlottes knee, “And did you see who’s sitting in 2F?”

Charlotte opened her eyes. Emily looked like she was about to burst, so Charlotte furrowed her brows, "Hmm. 2F?" She said and then realized who Emily was talking about.

“Oh, yes… The brunette?” Charlotte smiled, blew on her coffee and added with a waggle of her brows, “Yes, she’s delicious.”

Emily laughed, “She’s delicious? Do you live on a different planet? Of course, she’s delicious!”

When Charlotte just shrugged and didn’t say anything, Emily leaned forward and said in serious voice, “Are you telling me that you don’t know who she is?”

"No? Should I?”

Emily pushed herself back, “Oh my god. You really are a dinosaur.”

“What?” Charlotte drew back the curtain that was separating them from the passengers, pocked her head out and tried to get another look at the woman in 2F.

She couldn’t really see her while sitting down, so she stood to get a better look, “What is it? Who is she?”, but she was dragged down on her seat again by Emily who hissed, “Don’t! Give her some privacy! For gods sake! We’re professionals.”

“Calm down she’s asleep, I’m just having a peak.” But Emily held her in place.

“You can have a _peak_ later – I don’t want her to see you ogling her.”

Charlotte sighed, and continued drinking her coffee. “Fine then, I can ogle her plenty later.”

Emily rolled her eyes, pulled out the list for breakfast orders and started checking it.

“So, do you want to tell me who is she?” Charlotte said, not wanting to let it go, but Emily just looked at her like she was dropped on her head when she was a baby.

“Are you serious?”

Charlotte pretended to get up and said, “Fine, I’ll just go and ask her.”

Emily grabbed her arm, “Jesus no! Sit down!”

“Christ, I guess I can’t blame you for not knowing. You are and your family are so utterly uninformed,” Charlotte opened her mouth to protest, but Emily held up a hand and continued, “She was flying under the radar and living in the shadow of her brother for a long time, but I guess they finally decided to whip her out... ”

Emily looked down to the list again and finally revealed, “Your delicious 2F is Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam.”

“Lady who?”

Emily sighed, “Ah. And she wants the vegetarian option for breakfast.” She made a mark.

Charlotte poked Emily with a finger, “Lady what? Lady who?”

The phone on the wall next to them beeped and Charlotte reached to get it, but Emily swapped her hand away and said, “Don’t even think about that - it’s your break.”

Lifting the phone to her ear she greeted, “Hi luce, how’s the lobster?” Charlotte felt bad for her sister working in coach.

Emily made a gagging sound, “That’s disgusting. Sure, I can’t wait. Yes, I’ll see you in a second.” She hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Ugh, I’m going to help Lucy with the mess back there. But I’ll send Fredo up to help you until the next round of serving, then I’ll be back.”

Charlotte nodded and was happy that she wasn’t the one going down there, “Thank you, if you need help I –“ Emily waved her off, got up and left with a, “Oh, and by the way. You should check out the reading selection for today. Maybe start with The Weekly.”

And with that she left.

Charlotte made a ‘hmmm’ sound, and walked over to the cabinet holding the reading material they offered to passengers in first class. There were newspapers and magazines for almost every subject - science, fashion, food, culture, politics and one tabloid magazine – The Weekly.

She put her coffee down and pulled it out. Her eyes went wide.

There on the front page was her 2F.

She sat back down in her jump seat, and opened the magazine, being careful not to crinkle it, and on the first two pages was an article the magazine had chosen to dedicate a double page for.

Under the headline, ‘ROYALLY OUT OF CONTROL’ was a picture of the woman sleeping only a few feet away from her. In the photograph she was hurrying away from photographers, in what looked like to be an airport terminal. She was wearing a long grey coat and in her arms was large box of caramels. Her face was red and puffy, her eyes glassy and it was obvious that she had been crying. On the opposite page were several small photographs, all accompanied with text – the pictures looked like they had been taken candid and from a distance.

Charlotte gulped – all of a sudden she felt like she didn’t want to know any more. Still she looked over her shoulder, and read the first lines of the article:

_Royalty has never been on such a "fast track to disaster," as with our very own Lady Fitz, who we at **the Weekly** hold dear in our hearts as our favorite shy and icy marchioness, but this weekend she was spotted outside the posh Michelin restaurant ‘**Wind’ **in downtown New York, looking a little less than shy. She was seen exiting the restaurant through the staff entrance crying and with more than a wobble in her walk. She was quickly followed by her brother, a certain Mr. Dreamy-Harcourt Fitzwilliam, but when Mr. Fitzwilliam tried to console his sobbing and obviously drunk sister, a fight broke out between them. Her brother tried multiple times to help her, and **The Weekly’s **photographer was shocked to witness the slap that the royal lady delivered to his face (SEE PHOTOGRAPH ON NEXT PAGE), she then yelled and pointed her finger at him and stumbled into a taxi. **The Weekly **has talked to sources close to the famous royal siblings, and a source, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells us “She is out of control" and may be "the next Diana." Drinking, partying, dancing, having emotional fits – all in all a very unstable woman.” It seems like she’s self-medicating “She's actually a very lonely girl," says the insider. "She gets emotional faster than most ,and it often ends in hysteria. So, she takes it out on her brother who only wishes the best for her.” _

The article continued, but Charlotte closed the magazine with a bad taste in her mouth. What a load of absolute crap. She went to put the magazine back with a decision to hide all of its copies, so nobody would have to see the rubbish. But lifting the other newspapers, she noticed that another paper in the stack also had a frontpage with Lady Isabella printed on it. In fact, when she flipped through the stack of reading material, they almost all did. Most had very nice pictures of her. In one Isabella was cutting a ribbon and laughing with a group of people, in another she was standing behind a man with long golden curls who was shaking the hand of someone, that the text underneath the photograph told her was the mayor of New York. The last headline read: “Sibling diplomacy never looked so good!”

Charlotte wrinkled her nose and stuffed all the copies of ‘The Weekly’ into a box, that no one ever used, not caring about wrinkled pages any longer.

What was going on here? She still had no idea who the woman really was – she was certainly someone important and someone, it seemed, who had enough on her plate.

She walked back to the curtain, and looked out at the woman, who was still sleeping.

Still with her leg stretched out into the aisle and still, Charlotte thought to herself, looking absolutely beautiful.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**_Isabella_ **

Pop!

“Unngh,” a stinging feeling shot through her ears when they popped as the air pressure in the cabin changed.

She brought her hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes and realized that she was still wearing her glasses. She must have fallen asleep while watching that movie, but now the screen was turned off, and she didn’t remember when she had dozed off. She was also completely stretched out into the aisle, even though she had plenty of space in her corner seat.

‘Gosh I’m such a klutz', she thought and pulled her now uncomfortably sleeping leg towards her. While massaging it back to life, she noticed she was wearing a blanket, that she did not remember putting on.

‘Strange, someone must have tucked me in,’ and looked around the cabin. Most people were beginning to stir, which meant it was close to breakfast and that landing wasn’t far away. She should take advantage of the bathrooms before others got the same idea.

In the lavatory she washed her face and fixed her hair. It was still messy, but she liked her reflection. She looked tired, but like a real person. No makeup. No over the top jewelry and ridiculous diamonds. No Harcourt looming behind her.

Just her.

There would probably be photographers at the airport. Quigley would already have found out that she was arriving in London, and send her pack to snap pictures of her.

And so, she should look her best, but right now she found that she didn’t care of what anyone thought. She grabbed her toiletry bag and opened the door to get out.

She had her sunglasses, they should be enough, she thought and bumped into someone standing right outside the door.

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t see -” She looked up and saw that the person she was caught in front of, was the flight attendant who seemed like she didn’t have a single care in the world. The one who had winked at her earlier.

“- do forgive me.” She added and moved to get away. But the woman lay her hand on her arm, gave her a warm smile and said, “Nothing to worry about, it is awfully crammed up her. Can I get you something before we serve breakfast?”

Isabella gulped; the hand was still on her arm. Warm and soft.

“Ehm, no thank you, I - “, she began, but the woman just turned around and got out a glass, a bottle of sparkling water and started pouring.

“The air is very dry up here, you can easily dehydrate – here – “, she said, and gave her the glass.

Isabella took it and gave a nervous chuckle, “Are you always this attentive?” she asked and stole a glance at the nametag on the white silk blouse, “Charlotte?”

Charlotte smiled and leaned back against the counters behind her.

“Oh no, not usually. Only when I can’t help it.”

And then she winked at her. _Again._ Isabella felt a blush rising in her cheeks, she was sure the other woman would notice, but Charlotte only batted her eyelashes at her and said, “Oh! I nearly forgot! I’m sorry, hang on - ”, she bended over to take something out of a fridge on the floor, and Isabella caught herself leaning to the side, so she could better admire the perfect uniform on Charlottes even more perfect body.

A sight that certainly did not help her from blushing. The crème colored skirt was rising up Charlottes nylon stockings, and when Isabella moved her head to the side to get a better look, Charlotte stood up from the fridge. Isabella quickly straightened up to hide that she had been leering, but bumped her elbow into the wall and made a grimace. 

Charlotte innocently plopped a lemon slice into the glass Isabella was holding and said, “There. Now it’s perfect.”

Isabella looked down at the lemon slice now floating in her glass, and then back at the woman in front of her.

Charlotte tilted her head and asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

Isabella swallowed. Her arm hurt and her faced burned hotly. She cleared her throat and managed to say, "I - No, thank you.” and returned to her seat.

She was relieved to find that her breakfast was being served by someone else than Charlotte. She didn’t think she could take being confronted with her own awkwardness once more, and the woman who now served her, certainly wasn’t flirting with her.

She only smiled politely and said, “One vegetarian breakfast for you Ma’m”. Isabella thought she looked like she had been on her feet all night, and like she was more than ready to go home.

The sun was rising outside her window and they were still a good way from London, but they had started their descend and Isabella could now see the outlines of cities through the thin layer of clouds outside. She sighed. Maybe this year would be different.

For the duration of their trip to America, Harcourt had bragged and teased her about his new girlfriend – how beautiful, sexy and free she was. An actress full of self-esteem. “So unlike my poor sister”, he had whispered in her ear, and though she felt bad for the poor soul who Harcourt had charmed into his net, she was also secretly thankful for anyone who could divert her brothers attention away from herself. 

“Care for something to read while we descend?” Isabella heard the low hum of Charlottes voice and looked up. She was coming down the aisle with a basket full of reading material.

Isabella straightened in her seat and decided that she _was_ daring and _did_ have enough self esteem to ask for The Guardian. The culture section was a particularly good read, but her guilty pleasure was on the back of the paper, where the monthly horoscopes where hidden.

But when Charlotte was at her seat, and Isabella was about to ask her for the paper, Charlotte looked at her with wide eyes, shuffled the papers and moved to skip her.

“Excuse me?” Isabella turned in her seat and said, “Sorry – could I have The Guardian please?”

Charlotte stopped and picked at the corners of the papers in the basket, but didn’t look at her.

“If you have it that is? Otherwise I would also be happy with The Independent.”

Isabella smiled and tried to catch Charlottes eyes that were fixed on the papers.

“Ehm, yes, The Guardian…” Charlotte said with a voice that was stripped of the confidence it had been filled with earlier.

“It’s.. Uhm -”, she pulled the paper out from the middle of the stack, “- right here” and handed it to Isabella who took it and saw her own face plastered on the front page.

**“ROYAL OPINIONS ARE BEST KEPT AT THE PALACE”** was the headline adorning a picture of herself, Harcourt and that awful governor from Idaho they had met.

She squinted down at the photograph. It must had been taken when they had exited the dinner that had turned into a grim discussion about education.

Isabella wasn’t allowed to have personal political opinions - she was supposed to go, look pretty, make polite conversation and represent Britain for its royal traditions. Nothing more. But after polite hors d'oeuvre’s, starters, a main course and with desert looming ahead of them, she hadn’t been able to take anymore idiotic arguments, and the whole thing had escalated quickly after she had opened her big mouth.

She furrowed her brows and looked back up at Charlotte, who shuffled on her feet and started to flip through the papers in her basket.

“Ehm, They’re not all like that – The Independent has a lovely photograph of you.” She said and gave Isabella another paper with yet another front page of herself. On this one she was cutting a ribbon.

“– or I mean, it’s a good headline! Not that you don’t look lovely! You do – uhm –“

Isabella held the two papers in her hands and stared at Charlotte who had a deep blush in her cheeks.

“Ah, this one is also nice.“ Charlotte moved to give her The Times, but as she pulled the paper out, it pulled with it a magazine, which fell right into Isabellas lap.

She stared at the horror laying there.

_The Fucking Weekly._

That awful old picture. They always brought it out when they wanted her to look bad.

The magazine was snatched away before she could tear it open and hate it even more, and Charlotte stuffed it back into the basket and mumbled, “That must have sneaked in there somehow.”

Isabella looked at Charlotte and asked, “Are they all like that?” She looked down at The Guardian and touched the picture of herself yelling at the governor.

“I mean, am I on all the papers?”

Charlotte looked at the newspapers she was carrying, “Well, I mean, you’re not on Nature or Good Foods, but –“ she gave a nervous chuckle, “I don’t know why you would be – I mean, I don’t know if you’re a good cook, uhm –“ Isabella looked up at Charlotte, who had an even redder face than before, “- I’m sure you are!” She added, took a breath and said, “But the other papers. Well yes, you are pretty much on all of them.”

Isabella nodded grimly, took The Guardian and said, “It doesn’t matter.”

She was determined not to care, but when she opened the first page of the paper, she was greeted by yet another picture. It was one of her and Harcourt. She groaned, closed her eyes and leaned back into her seat, “The paparazzi will be all over me when we land.”

Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and looked at Charlotte, who had leaned in over her seat.

“Don’t fret,” Charlotte said and gave Isabella’s shoulder a squeeze, “If it helps any, I thought you looked very charming in every single photo.”

Charlottes eyes where green and warm. Her cheeks were still flushed, and Isabella felt a little flutter deep in her stomach. As if tiny butterflies had escaped the cages they had been locked in for so long, and could now finally try to fly with their crinkled wings.

“Excuse me,” Charlotte quickly removed her hand from Isabella’s shoulder and broke the moment, “Aren’t you Lady Fitz?”

It was the man from earlier. The one who had skipped her in line. He was looking at Isabella with a smirk and holding a rolled-up version of The Weekly on his hand.

Isabella was about to give him her best ‘No, you must be mistaken’, but Charlotte had taken one look at him and the magazine he was holding, and turned her full front to him blocking his view to Isabella and said, “How did you get that?” and pointed to The Weekly in his hand.

“’Brought it myself, didn’t I?” He answered and stretched to look at Isabella.

“I saw you on the cover,” he waved The Weekly and tapped it on Charlotte's shoulder who looked like she had just tasted something very sour.

“- and I just wanted to say, if you need a little pick me up when we land, I would be honored to invite you for a one.”

He stroked his chin and smirked, “From the looks of it, it looks like you like your drink as much as I do. What do you say, hmm?”

The magazine was still laying on Charlottes shoulder, and before Isabella could think of any lame excuse, Charlotte flicked it off and said, “Rumors, I find, are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by the ignorant. What a high class act you are Sir. Now, will you please return to your seat.”

And then she put her hand on his arm and led him away from Isabella, who was left with a warm feeling and more butterflies than before. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have started our descent, please make sure your seat and tray tables are in their full upright position and…”

Isabella was about to fasten her seatbelt when she saw a smiling Charlotte jogging down the aisle towards her,

“I just wanted to let you know,” Charlotte said when she reached her, squatted down and laid her arms on the arm rest, “- that I’ve contacted Heathrow, and they told me that the paparazzi are indeed waiting for you, but that they are happy to take you out through the staff exit, so you don’t have to deal with them. I have a friend who works there, and she told me that she would be happy to escort you out.”

Charlotte beamed at Isabella, who just sat there in surprise with the seatbelt in her hands. 

Charlotte’s face changed from one of joy into one of mild panic and she said in a low voice, “Oh god, I hope I didn’t overstep? It just seemed like you didn’t want to deal with the press after all those ridiculous frontpages, and my friend was there – I - I can cancel it – wait let me just call her,” Charlotte stood up and Isabella finally found her senses, and grabbed her wrist.

“Wait - I’m sorry. No, please don’t call your friend. It is a wonderful idea.”

Charlotte’s smile returned and she slowly squatted back down again.

Isabella swallowed, “I’m just – I’m just, not used to strangers being very friendly to me, I think. So, thank you very much. I appreciate it immensely - it’s a big help.”

Charlotte extended her hand, “Then let’s not be strangers. I’m Charlotte Wells.”

Isabella let go of the seatbelt she was still holding, and took Charlotte’s hand, “Isabella Fitzwilliam, but you already know that I suppose.”

Charlotte held her hand and grinned, “A name is only a name. I find the people behind them to be much more interesting.”

She released their handshake and reached over to the seatbelt now lying in Isabella’s lap.

“You should fasten this,” and with trained fingers, she slipped the buckles together as Isabella held her breath and damned the explosion of flutter in her stomach.

“There we go”, she finished and got up to stand. She smoothed down her skirt and said over her shoulder as she walked away, “See you on the way out Isabella.”

The landing was smooth, and while taxiing to the gate, Isabella turned off flight mode on her phone, and texted her driver to let him know that he should pick her up at the staff exit of the airport. She hoped he knew where it was.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately with his confirmation – he was already on his way there.

When the plane came to a halt, she stood up and prepared for the London chill that was waiting outside. She put her grey overcoat on and when she slid her phone into her pocket, she felt that something was already there.

The perfume she had bought for herself.

She took it out and looked at it. It was such a small thing, but the bottle was a pretty caramel cylinder, with a handwritten logo and a number indicating the amount produced. She glanced up towards the front doors where Charlotte and her colleague where already bidding passengers goodbye.

Would it be reckless of her to do it?

She looked back down at the flask, and up again to Charlotte, who caught her eye, before she bid another passenger farewell.

Isabella took her suitcase in one hand, the perfume in the other and made her decision; it was Christmas and it would be nothing more than a sign of her gratitude.

She made her way towards the doors and Charlotte who was already smiling at her.

“So, my friend Nancy is waiting for you", Charlotte began, " She's at the end of the jetbridge. She has dark hair and looks a bit intimidating, but she has a heart of gold, and won’t let anyone get near you.”

Isabella nodded and wanted to say something witty in return, but the flask burned in her hand and her courage was leaving her fast, so she just took Charlottes hands in hers, pressed the perfume into them and said, “Merry Christmas Charlotte.”

With one last smile, she let go and left the airplane.

* * *

** _Charlotte_ **

** **

Charlotte looked after Isabella until she disappeared around a corner and then, down to her hand.

She opened it to reveal a small flask.

“Thank you for flying with us. Goodbye.” Emily sing-songed next to her.

Charlotte turned the flask over in her hand. It was a little longer than her palm, and had a beautiful golden color.

“Goodbye, have a nice day!” She heard Emily say, and was poked in the ribs.

“What’s that in your hand?” Charlotte straightened up and ignored Emily. She curled her hand around the flask and continued saying goodbye.

When the last passenger had finally left, she turned to Emily and opened her hand to show the flask.

“Lady Isabella gave it to me when she left.”

Emily stared at it, then at Charlotte, and then back down to the flask.

Raising an eyebrow, she said, “She gave you a perfume?”

“Is that what it is?” Charlotte brought the flask closer to her face to inspect it, but Emily snatched it from her and held it up towards the light, “Oy! Give it back!” Charlotte tried to grab it back, but Emily held it out of her reach.

She squinted at it and whistled, “Do you think she could have given it to you by mistake?”

Charlotte moved around her and pulled the flask back.

“No -” she said and took off the top of the bottle. “- she pressed it into my hand when she left. It was on purpose.”

She lifted the flask to her nose, closed her eyes and inhaled. Her nose was filled with delicate smells of herbs, citrus and a hint of something that smelled like warm wood. She breathed out through her nose and mumbled, “She is so sweet. I think she wanted to thank me."

“Oh my god,” Emily swatted her shoulder and Charlotte quickly opened her eyes and put the lid back on the flask.

“Could you please pull yourself together. I’ve had enough vomit for one lifetime today - I don’t want to add my own to it. Let’s get out of here.”

Later, as she was sitting in the bumbling underground with her sister, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back while she listened to Lucy’s story of why seafood was forever ruined for her.

Her hand was in the pocket of her down jacket, and the perfume Lady Isabella had given her, was laying snugly inside it.

She wondered if she would ever see Isabella again. She had left her feeling light and the smile that Emily had told her to wipe off her face as they left the airplane, was still there.

She played with with flask and made a ‘hmmm’ sound.

“Charlotte, have you been listening at all? Are you sleeping?” Lucy poked her with a finger and laughed, “What are you smirking about?”

Charlotte opened her eyes and smiled at her sister. She took the flask from her pocket and passed it to Lucy.

“Do you know who Lady Fitzwilliam is?”


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

_ **Charlotte ** _

“Charlotte I’m telling you it’s fate!”

She was sitting at the kitchen table in their parents’ house eating biscuits. It was Christmas Day and the radio that had been playing Christmas tunes all day, was making her crazy. She reached over, turned it off and led out a sigh of relief.

“I know Luce...”

“But you have to contact her! You can’t miss this opportunity!” 

Lucy was standing in Ma and Pa’s kitchen stirring mulled wine on the stove. Every Christmas she kept insisting that she had a secret recipe, but a few years back, Charlotte had found store bought cartons hidden away in a trashcan outside. Lucy’s special ingredients, she suspected, was mostly gin and port. 

Charlotte laughed and reached for another biscuit. 

“And how do you propose I do that? Write the palace?” 

She put her legs on the table and in a shrill voice said, “My dear Lady, I don’t know if you remember me – I was the awkward flight attendant on flight UA934 who threw a gossip magazine into your lap. You sneaked me a perfume and now I find myself utterly captivated by you!” 

“Captivated by who?” Ma, who had just stepped into the kitchen asked and swatted her legs, “Legs off the table!” 

Charlotte puffed, drew her legs down and turned her attention back to the biscuits. “No one Ma - just the queen.” 

Lucy pointed at her with the wooden spoon she was holding, “Don’t make fun of this! How many people meets a member of the royal family that hands them secret gifts?” 

She scooped some wine up, tasted it and scrunched her face. “More gin I think...” 

“The royal family?” Ma said, took the spoon from Lucy and also took a sip, “This needs more gin Luce.”

Lucy nodded and slushed in more gin. 

“So," Ma walked over to Charlotte and kissed her on the top of her head, "who gave you a gift then?” She sniffed in a couple of times and said, “What’s that smell?” 

Charlotte waved her away and put her hand on her neck. “It’s just perfume Ma.” 

When her and Lucy had come home after the flight with Isabella, Charlotte had gone to her room and tried the perfume on. She had worn it every day since then. It made her skin smell warm and sweet and she was already dreading running out. 

“Well it’s very nice.” Ma said and sat down at the table in front of her. She turned the radio back on and Christmas songs immediately flooded the room. 

“Margaret! Could we please have a break from the damn Christmas songs!” Pa yelled from the other room. 

“I’m just helping you find your holiday cheer love!” She yelled back and turned the volume up. 

Cups clinked against the kitchen counter as Lucy poured mulled wine into them. 

“You know what Ma?” Lucy said, “That perfume you just smelled? It's especially nice, because Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam gave it to Charlotte on our redeye flight.” 

Charlotte groaned. 

"Lady who? Ma asked and Charlotte could have kissed her, "Some fancy Lady?"

"See Luce?" Charlotte said triumphantly, "Not everyone knows her!"

"I still can't believe you didn't know who she was." Lucy said and walked over to the table with three steaming cups. "So embarrassing.”

"She's that tall Marquess lady Ma," and gave her mother a cup, "You must have seen her. She's in the papers quite often." 

"No clue," Ma said and took the cup from Lucy. "Did you meet her too then? If she's so fine why was she on a normal airplane?” 

“All sorts of people fly.” Charlotte said, and fixed her eyes on Lucy, “But I think she’s tired of everyone bugging her.”

“I didn’t get to meet her Ma,” Lucy said and ignored Charlotte, “I was occupied in coach with people chugging up their innards.” She blew on her wine, “While Charlotte here, was up in first charming a Lady.” 

“I didn’t charm her!” 

“She gave you a perfume.” Lucy said and smirked at Charlotte, “And you love it. And now you’re blushing.”

Charlotte slapped her hands to her cheeks – “No I’m not.” She turned them over and pressed the cooler sides to her face, “It’s the wine, you always put too much gin in it.” 

Ma smacked her lips, “I think it’s perfect dear,” and squeezed Lucy’s leg, “Why did she give you a perfume Charlotte?” 

“I just arranged for her to escape the paparazzi waiting to ambush her at the airport. I got Nancy to escort her out the back entrance.” Charlotte shrugged, “I think she just wanted to thank me with a small gift.” 

“Nance met her too?” 

“Yes, I texted Nancy afterwards to ask how it had gone, but she only replied with a ‘Fine’ and a winking smiley." Charlotte replied and furrowed her brows, "I wrote her for more details, but she hasn’t replied yet. Even though I texted her three times already. I've also tried calling her, but she hasn't picked up.” She finished and thought how much she would have wished she had been the one escorting Isabella to the exit.

Then she could have asked about her plans for Christmas, if she would be spending it in London. She could have offered to take her suitcase, maybe she could have held the door for her, maybe asked for her –“ 

“Well,” Ma interrupted her rambling thoughts, “We can get the details from Nancy soon enough.” 

She got up and looked at the clock on the wall, “She’ll be here a little before dinner along with everyone else, so we should probably get cracking on the last things.” She put an apron on and looked at the two girls drinking lazily at the table and said, “Well? Let’s get to it! Tick tock!”

* * *

**_ Isabella_**

“For the love of god, will you please stop fussing Anne! I don’t want the world to think I’m fucking a mongrel.” Harcourt hissed while he tried to fix the cuffs on his sleeves. 

Isabella was seated in front of him and Anne. They were in the old Rolls Royce that was driving them to the Christmas celebration at the palace. It was a formal affair and members of the royal family was expected to be there, along with several politicians. The private family dinner was not mandatory, and she always tried to avoid it if she could. Tonight, she didn’t have a choice though. 

Harcourts new girlfriend, Anne, looked beautiful in a turquoise dress; it was long and formal, and she was wearing a family diadem. 

“I’m sorry darling,” Anne said to Harcourt, as she tried to help him with the sleeves, he flicked her hands away and instead she looked over to Isabella, “I’m just nervous. I’ve never been to the palace before. Not inside anyway.” 

Isabella reached over and took her hand, “Don’t worry, it’s not as special as everyone thinks. It’s mostly glitz, glamour and a whole lot of small talk. You’ll do fine”. 

The dinner was more enjoyable than usual. She was seated next to Lady Leadsom, who she knew well, and her company made the dinner far more enjoyable than it normally was. When yet another toast was drunk, and Isabella put her glass down, Lady Leadsom said to her, “How is your brothers newest catch doing? She looks a bit lost sitting next to Lord Repton.” 

Isabella looked up and over to the table where Anne was seated, and saw that she indeed did look like she would rather be somewhere else. 

“Oh dear”, Isabella said while a waiter refilled her glass with more white wine. “I feel for poor Anne - I was seated next to Lord Repton last year, and he wouldn’t stop telling me his theory of how hunting animals is not a very different sport than talking to women.” Lady Leadsom wrinkled her nose. 

Isabella made her voice deep and slurred to imitate the man who now was touching Anne’s shoulder, “The hunt, my Lady, is as easy as stalking a young doe.” Isabella mocked, “Only, your prey isn’t caught with bullets, but instead with compliments and sweet wine.” 

Lady Leadsom laughed, “Oh believe me dear Isabella, I remember last year very well. You fabulous toast to Lord Repton is famous.” She chuckled. “What was it you said?”

Lady Leadsom raised her glass and said, “To Lord Repton - a man who brought the smallest and wonkiest shot to dinner. I do hope you didn’t bring your bullets tonight my Lord!” 

They both broke out into laughter and Isabella said, “I can’t believe you remember! Harcourt was furious! but the queen did send me flowers along with a card asking me for shooting lessons.”

* * *

** _ Charlotte_ **

Pa was in the living room balancing on a chair and trying to hang a very large and rather ugly garland that was supposed to stretch over the dinner table. 

“Can somebody please get the door!” he yelled when the doorbell rang, “I can’t get this hideous thing to stay up.” 

Lucy wiped her hands on her apron and moved away from the stove, “I’ll get it. It’s probably Nancy, she’s always early.” 

Charlotte dropped the pan she was washing with a clang, and pushed past Lucy, “No, no I’ll get it! You stay here!” She ran to the door and pulled it open. 

Nancy was standing on the doorstep carrying a very large sack and wearing a fake white beard, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! Are there any – “ 

“Why haven’t you answered my texts or calls?” Charlotte interrupted her. 

“- dirty hoes at home.” Nancy mumbled behind the beard.

Charlotte put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. “Well?” 

Lifting her eyebrows Nancy said, “Well, that’s holiday spirit if I ever saw it. Could you at least let me in before you start interrogating me?” She said, pushed the sack she was carrying into Charlotte’s arms and went through the door. 

She walked to the coat rack and began removing her jacket, but Charlotte was right behind her. 

“So - Did it work? She got out okay?” Nancy rolled her eyes. 

“Did she say anything?”

Nancy turned around and faced her, “Will you relax - you’re going to give me a heart attack – “, and took the sack back from Charlotte, “- it went fine. She’s was very friendly and thankful for the help. She asked me to give you her best regards and to thank you again.”

“She told you to thank me?” 

“Yes”, Nancy itched at the beard, “ I also saw the paparazzi’s later in the terminal. The mood among them wasn’t too good when they found out they’d missed her I can tell ya’ that.”

She flung the sack over her shoulder again and went into the living room, “Nance!” Charlotte heard her Ma call out. 

“Ho! Ho! Ho! Are there any dirty hoes in here?” 

Christmas dinner was everything it should be Charlotte thought. The table was overflowing with delicious foods and every chair was filled with someone she loved. The centerpiece was a huge turkey that Pa had gotten from the neighbors. It was now laying on a big platter - crispy, golden and looking divine. Around it were shiny roasted potatoes, little green brussel sprouts from the garden, a heavenly stuffing with sage – Ma’s speciality, a fat gravy - that there never seemed to be enough of, and Charlotte’s favorite; pigs in blankets. She was devouring one when Ma asked Nancy, “So, what’s this about you and Charlotte knowing a fine Lady? Lady Futzi was it?”

"Lady Fitzwilliam," Charlotte mumbled with a mouth full of food. 

“Oh,” Nancy began, “She was on Charlotte and Emily’s flight and when the Lady found herself in need of a hero,” Nancy gestured to Charlotte, “This fine woman here decided to be her knight in shining armor and save her.” Nancy said and took a bite of potato, “Spontaneously hired me as a bloody bodyguard too.” 

“You know Lady Fitzwilliam Charlotte?” Violet who was sitting at the end of the table between Amelia and Florence asked. “I heard that she’s a little loony. A little out there you know?” and made circles with her fork next to her head. 

Amelia nudged Violet and said, “Don’t gossip – I felt bad for her when I saw how they put a photograph of her crying on a front page. It was that awful tabloid magazine, I forget the name of it –“ 

“The Weekly – “, Charlotte interrupted her, then looked at Violet and narrowed her eyes, “ – and she’s not loony. You shouldn’t believe everything you see or hear, just because some idiots decide to exploit a decent persons’ life so they can make dirty money.” 

She poured more wine for herself, took a sip and continued, “I found her to be very pleasant actually. She was polite, funny and lovely. Very well put together all in all.” She finished and found that it suddenly was very quiet around the table. She felt her cheeks burn, turned her attention back to her plate and started cutting her turkey a little too violently.

“Well put together? Really Charlotte?” Nancy said and Lucy started to laugh. Then everyone laughed, and when the garland hanging over their heads fell into the food, the subject of Lady Fitzwilliam was forgotten. 

Later when everyone was comfortable, full of food and wine, they had moved to the living room. The tree that had once stood in a corner, decorated and full of lights, was now dancing a slow waltz with Pa who all night had had nothing but Lucy’s mulled wine to drink. 

Jacob was lying on the carpet reading one of the many new books he had been given in the morning – he was turning into a bigger bookworm than Lucy, and over by the fire Ma had finally given up and fallen asleep in an old armchair. In the kitchen Amelia and Violet were playing scrabble on the table, and footsie underneath it, while Fanny and Florence were drinking sherry and having a slurred discussion about which of their puddings were the best.

In the sofa Charlotte was sitting next to Nancy, who had long ago swapped her usual leather hat out for one of green paper. 

“So now that everyone is either drunk, passed out,” Nancy said to Charlotte and tipped her head towards Amelia and Violet and added, “Or in love. I can finally tell you, that while escorting your Lady out of the airport, we chit-chatted for a bit.”

Charlotte looked up from the crossword puzzle she had been doing. 

“Oh?” she said and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, “What did you talk about?” 

“Oh, just this and that – she was very easy to talk to.” Nancy said, “Very easy on the eyes too.” And waggled her eyebrows.

Charlotte quickly looked back to her crossword and pretended to concentrate on a word, but Nancy just continued, “I asked her what her plans were for the holidays and she told me it was mostly family affairs - boring upper class stuff I thought to myself. She also told me that she was especially looking forward to the yearly opening of the nutcracker at the opera house -” Nancy took a sip of wine, “ - which is opening tomorrow evening.” 

“Well, that’s nice for her.” Charlotte said and erased a word she had just written down. She couldn’t concentrate at all.

“Kitty works at the opera.” Nancy leaned back in the sofa. 

“I know.” 

“She’s working at the ticket counter tomorrow.” 

“So?”

“So, when Lucy told me about the perfume Lady Love had gifted you, I decided it was so romantic and sweet that it could rot my teeth. Then Lucy told me about how you’ve been keeping that perfume in your pocket since last week – “ She turned and looked Charlotte up and down. “By the way, where are you keeping it right now? You don’t have any pockets. Is it – “

“It’s in my purse alright!” Charlotte said, gave up and threw the crossword on the coffee table. 

“Ah, well then that’s a relief." Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose.

“It smells lovely by the way, you should ask her for more.” 

“Will you please stop it? It was just a friendly gift. Definitely not romantic. Besides, how could I ask her for more? She has probably forgotten I even exist.”

“Ah see my love, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. She seemed quite stricken with you to be honest. Wouldn’t shut up about how you saved her.” Nancy said and patted Charlotte’s leg. “Which is why I’ve talked to Kitty and arranged a ticket for you for the Nutcracker tomorrow.”

Charlotte looked at her in horror. 

“You’re going as a seat filler. They’ve kept a few open and you’ve got the last one.” 

“You did what?” 

“So, you better make it count. She’s probably going to be seated in one of those ridiculous balcony things with the rest of the arses, but if I taught you anything it’s to let nothing stop you.”

Charlotte just stared at Nancy who asked her calmly, “What are you going to wear? I thought that the long green dress from last New Years Eve would be perfect. That Lady is going to take one look at you and swoon.” 

“Are you serious? I can’t just go and talk to her! She’s going to think I’m a stalker!” Charlotte finally found her words and spluttered, “I don’t even like ballet!”

“You’ve never been, so cheer up and who knows, maybe you’ll learn something new about yourself.” 

Charlotte put her face in her hands. “I did wonder why you didn’t get me a present this year.” 

“Well I just gave it to you. So, you’re welcome.” Nancy said, poured wine for herself and clinked her glass against Charlottes on the table.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

The frost was biting at her cheeks as she exited the car and braced herself for the short walk to the Opera House. The steps were covered with a red carpet and on both sides of it were photographers waiting. This was yet another formal event, but it was the only one that she didn’t mind attending while in London. She loved the ballet - but wished she could go on any other night.

She was accompanied by Lady Leadsom, and they had both been relieved to learn that this year’s invitation, did not require any formal attire. December in London was usually filled with rain and wind, but tonight the weather had decided to play winter.

Outside the car, cameras immediately began to click and flash and she looked up to the darkening sky. Above, all was calm, but it seemed to be preparing to snow.

She was happy for the fur she was wearing as she pulled it tighter around her and took Lady Leadsom’s arm. They walked past the photographers who yelled and begged them to stop for a picture, but they didn’t.

Inside the foyer it was warm and full of voices. The opera was already full of people who were all politely mingling, and Isabella was greeted by many familiar faces. Harcourt would be there also, she thought, somewhere with Anne probably. She studied the faces around her and when she didn’t find him, she stretched and looked over the sea of people while she gave her fur to a waitress. She was already taller than most, and in her high heels it was easy to get an idea of the room and the people in it.

There they were. Standing at a staircase was Harcourt with his hand on Anne’s back. They were laughing with Lord Rutledge, who was wearing all of his orders, even though no one else were. Suddenly Harcourts eyes found Isabella’s, and she felt her insides turn to ice and looked away.

Damn.

She touched Lady Leadsom’s arm, and said, “Julia, do you mind if we go to our box now?” she darted her eyes back to where Harcourt was standing and hoped she sounded calm, “I would be happy to be somewhere quieter.”

Lady Leadsom didn’t seem to mind, and after they had exchanged a few more polite words, they walked to their seats.

It was a full house, as these things always where, and it felt wonderful to sit in a soft chair, next to someone she could call a friend. She almost felt safe.

The lights dimmed, the show began, and even though she had seen this ballet many, many times, it was always a joy to let herself get captivated by the talent on stage.

Concentration, however, seemed to be difficult tonight. Because not long into the first act, she got the distinct feeling of someone watching her.

Automatically she looked over to the box where Harcourt was normally seated, but saw that he and Anne wasn’t occupied with anything each than each other. She sighed and pursed her lips.

Still, the feeling of being observed lingered. She looked at the faces around and below her, in search for the eyes that she felt resting on her.

And there, in a seat in the middle of the seats below, was a face looking straight at her.

Her breath hitched as she leaned forward to get a better look at the person watching her. Sitting there, was a young woman with dark curly hair in a green dress.

It was Charlotte.

The flight attendant who had been so friendly to her. Who had helped her avoid the press at the airport on the day she had landed in London. The very same woman, Isabella thought and squeezed her eyes together so she could get a better look, who her mind had wondered back to many times since that day.

Below, Charlottes eyes went wide when they met hers, and for a moment Isabella thought that maybe she was embarrassed to see her. Maybe because Isabella had been so bold and given her that stupid perfume.

But then, Charlotte raised her hand and gave her a small wave.

Isabella looked around her, as if Charlotte had waved to somebody else than her; but Lady Leadsom was distracted by the ballet and there was obviously no one else in the box, so she swallowed and gave a small wave back.

Charlotte’s face was lit up in a smile and Isabella couldn’t help but smile back. They looked at each other like that for a while, until she felt her face flush and looked away. But when she peaked back down at Charlotte, she found that the woman was still smiling at her.

In the dark Isabella couldn’t see that Charlottes heart was beating fast and that her face too had turned a shade darker.

It was the least she had ever seen of a ballet. Though her eyes were on the stage, her mind was somewhere entirely different. Somewhere down below. With Charlotte. Many times, her mind would win, and she would turn to sneak a peek at her again, and most times those peeks would turn into stares. But they never lasted very long, because then Charlotte would catch her eye, and she would turn her head back and pretend to watch.

When the first act was nearing its end and dancers dressed as snowflakes came to the stage, she snuck a peek yet again. But when her eyes found their target, she was met with Charlotte’s gaze. And then, instead of pretending that she hadn’t been looking, Isabella did something that she didn’t think she had in her. It was like a different part took over her; as if the rationale that normally had full control over her, was suddenly overpowered by something untamed. She brought her hand up and waved at Charlotte. Then, she curled her index finger and made a beckoning motion for Charlotte to come and join her in the box.

And then, with a face full of wonder, and a heart in her throat, Charlotte got up to the annoyance of everyone around her, and started to push her way towards to doors.

* * *

_ **Charlotte** _

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” She whispered to herself as she quietly closed the doors, and leaned against them.

Letting out a shaky breath, she whispered, “Thank you Nancy”, and put her hands on her warm cheeks.

“I hope I still look okay...” Charlotte mumbled and ran her fingers through her hair while an employee walked by. He gave her a sympathetic look.

“Excuse me –“, she called after him, “how do I get to those balcony boxes on the opposite side of here?” and jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

“You have to go down this hallway and then up the stair marked ‘A right’,” he said and looked her up and down, “But you can’t just go up there Miss. Those boxes are reserved and restricted.”

Charlotte turned around and mumbled, “I have an invitation”.

Standing outside the balcony, that she had calculated to be Isabella’s, was a man wearing an earpiece and a black suit.

“What the hell am I doing?” Charlotte thought as she took a calming breath and walked up to the man, who looked at her with a face that seemed like it had never been used for smiling.

“Hello, I’m sorry –“, she began and damned herself for not sounding cooler, “I’m looking for Lady Fitzwilliam? I’m not sure if this is the correct place though. I had to count from downstairs, so it might be the next one or even the previous one, although I don’t think –“

“Miss, you’re not allowed in the boxes without a personal invitation.”

“Yes I know.” Charlotte said and flashed him a bright smile. 

The lights in the hallway flicked indicating that the first act was finished. She blinked at him, “Lady Isabella invited me up.”

The man’s eyebrows shot up, “Did she now?”

“Yes, she waved at me and – “

“She _waved _at you?”

“Yes, I - she - “,

But before she could say anything else, the doors behind the guard opened, and a woman that Charlotte had never seen before, walked out.

“Would you like me to ask them to bring you anything else dear?” the woman asked someone inside, and then looked between Charlotte and the guard.

“Yes, could you ask them for –“, Charlotte moved a little to the side and it gave her the possibility to look inside the box –

\- and lock eyes with Isabella.

The guard turned around, “I’m sorry My Lady - this young woman says she has an invitation from you.”

Isabella stood up and walked over without taking her eyes off Charlotte.

“Yes, this is Charlotte Wells”, she said and when she reached them, added, “she’s my guest.”

Charlotte stared and took a long breath in through her nose.

Isabella remembered her name. And – Oh no.

If she had thought Isabella was beautiful on the airplane, then she didn’t have words to describe her now. She was taller than Charlotte remembered her to be, and standing there in a simple silver dress with legs that seemed to go on forever, Charlotte thought that if she died now, it would be as a happy woman. Isabella’s hair wasn’t in a bun any longer either. She had let out her dark silky curls, and now they were falling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled and -

“Ehm, lovely to meet you,” Charlotte heard someone say, “– Isabella didn’t tell me we would be joined by friends tonight,”

She slowly turned towards the voice and saw that the woman, whom she had already completely forgotten about, was holding a hand out towards her. “I’m Julia Leadsom.”

Clearing her throat, she took the hand and shook it, “Charlotte Wells. A pleasure.”

“Julia, this is _the_ Charlotte I told you about earlier in the car. She’s the one who helped me escape the press after New York.” Isabella said and the woman called Julia, looked at Charlotte with a smile.

“Aha! The flight attendant,” and Charlotte felt herself shrink a little, but then Julia added, “I told Isabella that I wished there were more people like you. What you did was a wonderful gesture.”

Charlotte felt her heart swell a little, and stole a glance at Isabella who was beaming at her.

“Oh, it was nothing – “, she started, but Julia’s smile just grew even wider, “Don’t undermine yourself dear – not many people would have done the same,” and looked down at her watch, “We have 15 minutes till curtain. Charlotte, I take it you’ll be joining us for the second act? Would you care for champagne too?”

“Well, I just came to say hello, I wouldn’t want to impose, I’m – “

But Isabella leaned forward, lay her hand on Charlottes arm and said, “Oh, but you must join us!”

At this, Julia clapped her hands together, “Well! Then that’s settled - Charlotte you are joining us! We need to toast to Isabella’s savior!” she declared and looked at the security guard who was still standing next to them and said, “Oscar, will you please send for an extra chair and the best Krug they have.” Then she turned to Isabella and Charlotte, pointed down the hallway and said, “I’m just going to say hello to my cousin in the next box,” and walked away with the security guard.

Leaving Charlotte and Isabella alone.

Isabella looked at Charlotte with a warm smile and in a breathy voice she said, “Well this was a pleasant surprise. Please, come inside.”

Charlotte’s heart was beating fast in her chest, but a pleasant feeling was also starting to form in her stomach. It grew as she walked inside. Everything was red velvet and gold. Breathless, she walked to the railing. It was a wonderful view from up here - now she could see the whole stage and admire the architecture of the building much better.

“It’s beautiful.” She sighed as Isabella came to stand beside her.

“Yes.“

Isabella put her hands on the railing and looked out at the space below them, “Though, I’ve always liked the seats below better.”

“You mean down where I was sitting?” Charlotte chuckled, and pointed to the seat she had been in not long ago, “I couldn’t see much to be honest - there was a tall man sitting directly in front of me.” Isabella let out a soft laughter and Charlotte looked shyly at her and added, “Not that I was paying much attention to the stage anyway.”

A smile spread on Isabella’s face and she said, “Neither was I”, and Charlotte felt the warm feeling in her stomach spread to her entire body.

“I never got to probably thank you for what you did for me.” Isabella said as she sat down in one of the chairs and gestured for Charlotte to take the other.

She laid her hands in her lap and started to turn a ring on her finger.

“I wanted to say more on the airplane, but, as I’m sure you remember, I’m not always good with words”, she looked at Charlotte and said, “– especially if people are kind to me.”

Charlotte smiled and sat down next to her, “You don’t have to explain anything. I think I understand. It must be very stressful being watched and judged all the time.”

Isabella kept twisting the ring on her finger, but didn’t look away from Charlotte, “Yes, it can be a little overwhelming at times.”

“I also never got to thank you for the gift you gave me”, Charlotte said and felt nervous. She had put the perfume on her neck and wrists before she had left her and Lucy’s apartment earlier.

“Oh!” Isabella looked down, and suddenly Charlotte got the feeling that maybe she wasn’t the only one who felt a little anxious.

“That little thing,” Isabella stammered, “– I hope you didn’t think it was odd of me to give it to you? I wanted to give you something to say thank you, and I loved how the perfume looked when I saw it and,” she waved her hand and gave a nervous laughter, “– well, I hope you liked it.”

“I love it,” Charlotte answered honestly. And then realized what Isabella had just said.

“Wait. Did you say, that you thought the perfume _looked _lovely?”

Isabella’s cheeks turned a pretty pink as she looked back up at Charlotte.

“Yes, I did.”

“Didn’t you... You didn’t smell the perfume before you bought it?”

No, I just... Saw it.” Her eyes found Charlottes and then she said, “And I just had to have it.”

Charlotte swallowed, “And then you gave it to me?”

“Yes.”

“And you still don’t know how it smells?”

“No.”

Without really thinking about what she was doing, she leaned over, slowly moved her hair away from her neck and presented it to Isabella.

Isabella’s eyes were gleaming in the soft light, a small gasp escaped her lips and then she very slowly inched her face closer to Charlottes neck.

Charlotte closed her eyes as she felt a breath just above her skin and then she heard Isabella utter a soft, “Oh”.

She turned to face Isabella, who was now only a few inches away from her, and for a moment all reason seemed to leave her.

Who cared if she hardly knew the woman next to her? Who cared if she was royalty and she was merely a mortal with no tact or class?

And who the hell cared if they were in the most exposed seats in the whole damn place?

Her eyes drifted down to Isabella’s lips, but then she was abruptly pulled out of her insanity, when the door to the box opened and a chair was carried in. Isabella and Charlotte quickly drew apart from each other as Julia entered with three glasses and a bottle of cold champagne.

“Here we are - thank you Oscar.”

The chair was sat down and Charlotte stole a glance at Isabella who was back to fidgeting with her ring.

“Here you go darling,” Julia said, gave Isabella a glass and started pouring. When the glass was full Isabella immediately brought it to her lips and took a big gulp.

“Good girl Bella,” Julia said, and stuck a glass in Charlotte’s hand, “I never got through the second act of this thing without being drunk.”

Charlotte thought to herself that Julia probably had already had a few glasses during the break and she took a sip of the golden liquid in her glass. Her mouth was filled with the most delicious wine she had ever tasted.

“Oh my god! What is this?” She blurted out, “It tastes incredible!” and licked her lips slowly.

Julia poured a glass for herself and looked over to Isabella who was staring at Charlotte with a blank face.

“Oscar!” Julia yelled, “We’re going to need another bottle!”

When the lights were dimmed, Charlotte was feeling more comfortable than she probably should. She was sitting next to Isabella and thought she had the best view in the whole damn place; and it wasn’t because of the view to the stage.

They had soon finished the first bottle; Julia had kept refilling their glasses and Charlotte welcomed it. It was nice to let go of her nervousness and she liked the way it made Isabella giggle when Julia had pointed out every creep she knew in the opera.

During the final act Isabella seemed to have forgotten everything about fidgeting. She would sometimes whisper in Charlottes ear if there was something she wanted to elaborate about the ballet or if she thought she saw someone she knew. Charlotte was having difficulties hearing anything she said, because every time Isabella came close to her, her blood rushed to her face and she got goosebumps everywhere.

The ballet finished all too soon for Charlottes liking. She would have stayed in that chair with Isabella’s mouth next to her ear for the rest of her life if she had had the choice.

“Thank god that’s over!” Julia said and stood up when the curtain was drawn for the third time and the applause ended.

In the hallway outside the box a waitress was waiting with Isabella’s and Julia’s coats. Suddenly a feeling of not belonging hit Charlotte with full speed. Her coat was in the wardrobe downstairs, and she would have to stand in line to get it. She thought of the jacket number in her purse, and about what it’s twin was pinned to; her pink puffy down jacket.

Isabella threw her luxurious grey fur over her shoulders and Charlotte cringed. The contrast would be striking.

“You’re sure I can’t persuade you to come to the Pleasure Gardens with me and James dear?” Julia said to Isabella, “The night is still young.”

Isabella gave Julia a pained smile and said, “Thank you, but the Pleasure Gardens and I really aren’t a good match.”

Her and Julia discussed this for a little while, as Charlotte could only look on and wonder what in the world The Pleasure Gardens were, and if the two women had forgotten she was still there.

“Alright then if you’re so sure dear,” Julia finally gave in, “But, you owe me a night out!” and pointed her finger at Isabella.

While air kissing her cheeks she said, “I’m going to find James and catch a ride with him. It was wonderful seeing you tonight darling”, and then looked at Charlotte, who’s desperate mind was on her pink jacket. At the moment it was trying to figure out if she should steal someone else’s.

“And It was lovely to meet you miss Wells.” Julia said and shook Charlotte’s hand.

She left, and once again Charlotte found herself standing alone with Isabella. She hadn’t planned any of this and felt awkward.

When she had finally found the courage to go in the first place, and had been pushed out of the door by Lucy, her only plan had been to go to the opera and stare at Isabella from a distance. And yet, here she was, standing right in front of her - with sweaty hands and a racing mind.

Isabella seemed to be much more relaxed, she tilted her head and asked, “Didn’t you bring a coat?”

Oh no.

“Ehm, yes I did,” Charlotte started, “but it’s in the wardrobe downstairs – and it’s not important, I was going to - ”

“Do you have a number for it?” Isabella asked, and Charlotte reluctantly took it out of her purse.

“May I?”, Isabella said and stretched out her hand, and Charlotte couldn’t do anything else than give her the little piece of paper.

Isabella pulled out her phone, pushed a few buttons and put it to her ear.

“Yes - Fred are you outside? Alright that’s fine. Could you please go to the wardrobe and collect a coat? Number 16”, she said while Charlotte whispered to her, “No, no - actually I don’t really need a jacket I think.”

“Yes, thank you Fred. And then could you meet me at the doors please? We’re coming down now.”

They walked down the stairs and after Isabella had said a few polite ‘goodbyes’ and “see you soon”, they met a man holding her jacket.

‘The pink horror from the mall’ Ma always called it. And there it was. Lying in the hands of an important looking man wearing a suit. He was probably Isabella’s personal butler or something Charlotte thought and felt a little annoyed at her own embarrassment. She _loved_ that jacket – she liked wearing it over her crisp uniform after work; it made her feel less chick and more like herself.

But right now, with Isabella next to her, she wished she could have worn anything else.

The man passed Charlotte her jacket with a nod and she quickly took it from him and pulled it into her chest. Isabella looked first at the jacket and then at Charlotte.

“Don’t you want to put it on?” She said and smiled, and Charlotte got the distinct feeling that she was teasing her.

“Oh – no, it’s fine. I feel really warm actually.”

Isabella pursed her lips and smirked, “Ah, do you? It’s going to be freezing outside though.”

“Oh, well I have thick skin so - “

“And it’s snowing.” Isabella said, and looked through the big glass windows of the building. She looked smug.

Charlotte looked out too, and to her annoyance saw that Isabella was right. It had begun to snow while they had been inside. Fat flakes were falling, and a thick layer of fluffy snow was already laying on the frozen ground outside.

She was going to look even more ridiculous if she stepped out without a jacket. And be very cold. So, she kicked herself for being so insecure and put the jacket on.

Isabella reached her hand out and touched it, “You look like cotton candy,” she giggled.

Charlotte felt her cheeks burn, and before she could stop herself, she said, “You think so?” Quickly zipped up her jacket, then had a brain aneurysm and added, “Do you want to have a bite?”

The smirk on Isabella’s face was immediately replaced by wide eyes and a small ‘O’ shaped mouth.

“I – uhm - I,” she stammered, and Charlotte realized that the sweet, distinguished and gentile woman in front of her was trying to reply to her innuendo joke about wanting to _take a bite out of her_. What was wrong with her? Did she just ask a member of the royal family to _eat _her? If Isabella didn’t already think she was creep, she certainly would now.

Charlotte checked her watch without actually seeing what time it showed and quickly said, “Oh! Is that the time!” It was probably best to get out of there before Isabella decided that she was a lunatic. “I better start walking home before it gets too late.”

“You can’t walk in this weather.”

Isabella was blinking at her with eyes that were filled with something that Charlotte normally would have called wonder. Though in this instance she thought it might just be, that she was having an inner discussion of whether to call the police or not.

Charlotte was already thinking of the fastest way to get home – she could jump the fence at – when Isabella said, “Let me give you a ride home.”

“Oh – “, Maybe she wasn’t going to be arrested after all, “– you – you want to drive me home?”

“Yes, or that is,” Isabella gestured to the man still standing behind them, “Fred’s driving. I’m just in the back seat,” and chuckled.

So, definitely not getting arrested.

The walk to the car wasn’t very far; it was waiting at the end of a red carpet that had been rolled out. Charlotte didn’t see much of anything on the way though, because her eyes were blinded by cameras flashing.


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

Charlotte Wells was in her car. Sitting right next to her rubbing her eyes.

“I can see why you wanted to avoid that at the airport,” she said and let out a long sigh, and Isabella felt embarrassed about all the photographers outside.

“Yes, I’m sorry - the flashes are even worse in the dark. Are you alright?”

She pinched her eyes together, opened them and blinked at her. “There are little white stars dancing around your face, but I think I’m fine.”

Charlotte was so beautiful. Little snowflakes had caught in her hair and the frost had already turned her nose and cheeks pink from the short walk to the car. And then, there was that jacket. It was utterly ridiculous, but Isabella didn’t think she had ever seen anyone look so pleasing in neon colored clothing before.

Charlotte was smiling at her and she could do nothing else than smile back and enjoy the sight.

“Where to M’am?” Fred said and brought her out of her trance.

“Oh yes, sorry,” she shook her head, “Charlotte, where would you like to be driven to?”

Charlotte mumbled something that she couldn’t quit hear so she asked her, “Sorry I didn’t catch that?”

“Greek street”, Charlotte then said a little louder and turned to look out of her window.

In the driver’s seat Fred nodded and pulled away from the sidewalk.

“That’s right around the corner,” Isabella said to no one in particular and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. This would be a short trip.

The ride was silent, but inside her a storm was raging. There was so much she wanted to say to Charlotte, but she didn’t know how. _What was going on with her?_ Normally, she was a small talk expert, but the woman sitting next to her, had a knack for throwing her completely out of course.

She sighed and looked out the window; the sky was full of heavy clouds that spilled out snow, and she couldn’t see a single star. Maybe she could ask Charlotte for her star sign, then, if she never saw her again, she could read her horoscope and guess how her day was going. But that would be sad and weird she thought as she glanced over to Charlotte who was still looking outside.

“What number should I stop at Miss?” Fred asked all too soon for Isabella’s liking.

Charlotte leaned forward in her seat and pointed towards a little townhouse on the left side of the street, “The brown house right there, thank you.”

The car came to a halt and Charlotte turned to face Isabella, “So, this is me.”

She wasn’t smiling like she had done in the opera any longer; instead Isabella thought she looked a little sad.

“I’ll walk you to the door”, she quickly said and opened her door before Charlotte could begin to protest. The house was just on the other side of the narrow road and it would only take a couple of steps to reach it, but she wasn’t ready to let Charlotte go just yet.

Together they walked the short way to a little two-story house. Isabella thought that even from the outside it looked homey. The curtains had been drawn, and soft yellow lights were filtered out through them. It was only snowing lightly now, and when they reached the door, she saw that little snowflakes had again settled into Charlottes curly hair. A warm glow fell on her skin and Isabella took a breath and tried to find her courage.

“I had a lovely time toni – “, she began, but was immediately interrupted by Charlotte who had put her hands in her pockets and looked determined.

“What-are-you-doing-on-New-Year’s-Eve?”

“Pardon?”

Charlotte shuffled on her feet, “What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”

Oh.

“My brother’s house party is tradition,” she slowly replied and already felt sick of the thought of going, “But I never stay for very long.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Charlotte mumbled, and Isabella let out a low laugh.

“It usually isn’t actually.”

“Oh?”

“My brother he...” She began, but then stopped herself. She didn’t want to complain about her problems with Harcourt on Charlotte’s doorstep, so instead she just said, “It’s just a get-together where people’s only motive is to rub elbows.”

Which was true enough – the party was a socialite gathering where everyone agreed with everyone, and where you always had the feeling of being looked over the shoulder in case someone more important would pass by.

But it was also Harcourts domain, and wherever he was concerned Isabella never felt safe. If she didn’t attend though, he was likely to make her life difficult. He had his hands all over the budget that financed both of their schedules; something he claimed their father had arranged before he died, but that was something she knew was a lie. But now, so many years after their father’s death, and with a myriad of lawyers, counselors and many difficult family members all on Harcourts side, she felt her chances for changing anything were lost.

“To be honest I would rather be anywhere else than that party”, she sighed.

“Well, if you want,” Charlotte said and fidgeted with the zipper of her jacket, “Me and my sister are hosting a party -”, letting out a nervous laughter she gestured to the little house,

“- well, right here.”

“You – you’re inviting me for your New Year’s Eve party?”, Isabella asked and searched Charlotte’s eyes. She had never really been invited to anything without it being either handed to her in an envelope or automatically appearing in her official schedule. Attending things, were not a choice, but work.

Her mind went blank for a second as she looked up at the house and imagined herself inside - when it would be full of music and people, and before Charlotte could continue the rant she had already begun about ‘how it wasn’t very fancy or anything’, she stopped her midsentence, “I would love to come.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

Letting out a chuckle Charlotte took her hands out of her pockets and then, she reached one out to take Isabelle’s gloved hand into hers.

“That’s wonderful.”

She bit her lip and looked down to see Charlottes hand inside of hers, and suddenly the cold around them seemed to lose all its effects. The storm inside her stilled and was replaced by a comfortable warm feeling that immediately began to thaw the frost that had kept her chilled and numb for so long.

“Yes, it is”, she whispered and looked back up at Charlotte who was looking at her with a curious face. And then, Charlotte took a small step forward, stood on her toes and pressed a small soft kiss to her cheek.

The door to the house was flung open and Charlotte quickly drew back from her, but Isabella swallowed and couldn’t stop her hand from reaching up to touch the place where Charlotte’s lips had just been. It was still tingling from the touch.

“Good evening!”

She slowly turned her head to see a young blond woman standing in the doorframe. She was wearing a bathrobe and had a big grin on her face.

Charlotte was still holding onto her hand and said, “Lucy – I’ll be in in a moment.”

But the woman in the door just pushed her hand out in front of Charlotte and presented it to Isabella, “Hello, I’m Lucy, Charlotte’s sister. Nice to meet you.”

Isabella reluctantly let go of Charlottes hand so she could shake the one dangling in front of her, “Hello - I’m sorry if we woke you.”

Lucy shook her head, “Oh no, no you didn’t, I was up watching a romantic comedy anyway,” She lifted her eyebrows at Charlotte and leaned back against the doorframe, “I just love those things.”

Charlotte crossed her arms and stared at her sister who waggled her eyebrows.

“Erm, I should probably also get home,” Isabella said and pulled her fur tighter around her, “It’s getting late, and Fred has to get back to his family.”

”Oh, yes – of course –uhm,“ Charlotte mumbled and looked back at her, while Lucy still smiled from the door.

Isabella lay a hand on Charlotte’s crossed arms and said, “It was wonderful to meet you so spontaneously tonight. I had a lovely time”, then she turned to face Lucy, “And it was lovely to meet you Lucy.”

“I’ll see you soon”, she whispered to Charlotte as she looked at her one last time before she walked back towards her waiting car.

* * *

** _Charlotte_ **

The door closed with a click as she turned around, leaned her back against it and closed her eyes.

Letting out a long breath, she heard Lucy say, “Sooo – how did it go?“ and opened her eyes; Lucy had clasped her hands in front of her and looked overly excited.

“You’re the biggest busybody on the planet...” Charlotte mumbled and zipped down her jacket.

Lucy didn’t seem to have heard and just walked over to peak through the curtains to the street outside, “I can’t _believe _she was just here!” she said and giggled.

Charlotte hung her jacket and brought her hand up to her lips. Isabella’s cheek had been so soft and ... and...

“So, what happened? How did you get talking? Nancy told me it probably wouldn’t be easy to get to her.” Lucy came over and pulled on her arm, “Why did she give you a lift home?” and before she could say anything, Lucy had dragged her up the stairs and into her room. She threw her into an armchair, handed her a cup of tea and positioned herself on the edge of her bed.

Charlotte huffed, pulled her legs up in the chair and blew on her tea, “Well, it went very well I think.”

Lucy drew her eyebrows up and gestured for her to continue, “Yeees?”

“Well, ehm, we sort of got eye contact in the opera and then uhm – “

“Ahaaa?”

Charlotte took a sip of her tea, “Uhm, I somehow ended up with her and her friend in one of those balcony things, and then when the show was over, she offered to drive me home.” She quickly finished and took another sip. She didn’t want to tell Lucy that she had kissed Isabella’s cheek. Somehow it felt oddly private. Still fresh. And too vulnerable, like something that should be cherished.

She looked over to the window facing the street. A chair had been pulled up in front of it and in the window frame, was a cup of tea.

“Wait – “, Charlotte said and looked back at Lucy, “Have you been waiting at the window? Did you spy on me?”

Lucy threw her hands out, “Oh my god - _of course _I did! And I’m going to need a lot more information than the sad summery you just gave. So, let’s take it from the top -”

Charlotte opened her mouth to protest, but then she remembered something.

“Oh my god...”

“What? What did you expect me to do? I wanted to see when you came home. Imagine my excitement when I saw _Lady Fitz _coming towards our house! I’ve never been so excited since Nancy gave me a whip for my birthday!”

“No Luce, I – “, Charlotte said and slowly put her tea down, “I invited Isabella for our New Year’s Eve party.”

Nobody said anything for a while. Then Lucy closed her eyes and held a hand up.

“Wait.” She said, “You invited Lady Fitzwilliam to our Lush and Buzzed party?”

“Yes”, Charlotte said in a small voice.

“Oh my god.”

Charlotte covered her mouth with her hands and whispered through them, “I know.”

“Please tell me she’s coming.”

“She’s coming.”

Lucy’s eyes snapped open and she stood up, “This is too good to be true. Lady Fitz in our house!” she squealed, and Charlotte closed her eyes at the sound.

The next few days seemed to go by in a blur; Lucy insisted that Charlotte bought a new dress for the party and that they cleaned their place until it shined.

Charlotte had joked and said that it wasn’t like the queen was coming or anything, but then Lucy had thrown her a look from the shelf she was dusting, and Charlotte had realized what she had just said, and hurried to get out the hoover.

Their house had been in the family for decades, and when she and Lucy had started earning enough money to get their own place, their mother had forced Pa to put a wall up in the middle of it so they would stay. It was very expensive to live in London after all, and the house and address wasn’t something she would give away in a heartbeat – even if it did mean living directly next to her mother who liked to have an opinion about almost everything her daughters did.

Two days before the end of the year, Her and Lucy had gone to the store to get the last few things they needed for the party. They were pushing a very full cart down an aisle, when Lucy asked, “Do you think Lady Fitz likes Drumstick Squashish?” and held out a big bag for Charlotte to see.

“Don’t call her that,” Charlotte said, “and I have no idea.”

Lucy threw the bag in the cart, “Everyone likes Drumstick Squashish.”

She stopped to inspect a bag of crisps and said, “But if you had just gotten her number, you could have written and asked her - and then we wouldn’t be facing a potential embarrassing situation about sweets.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, “For the millionth time – I was about to ask for it, when you ripped the door open and interrupted me!”

Lucy shrugged, and Charlotte said under her breath, “And even if I did have it, I certainly wouldn’t write to ask if she likes Drumstick Squashish.” 

They reached the counter and started filling their items on the belt when Lucy gasped.

“What? What is it?” Charlotte said as Lucy pushed her to the side, grabbed something off the magazine stand and threw it on the belt.

_The Weekly._

The belt moved, and Charlotte grabbed it.

There, on the front page, were several photographs of various famous people that Charlotte didn’t really know who was, but among them was a picture of two people she definitely _did _recognize. In the corner of the page was Isabella walking on a red carpet and next to her, was Charlotte - in her pink jacket.

“Oh my god,” Charlotte heard Lucy say over her shoulder.

Once again, The Weekly had managed a brainless headline. In big capital letters it read:

**THE NUTCRACKER GIVES US DRESSES, SMILES AND DRUNKS**

She ripped open the magazine and quickly found the picture of herself and Isabella. Isabella, of course, looked gorgeous. She was walking with a straight back and a small smile, while Charlotte was hunched down and had covered her eyes with a hand. Next to the picture was an article, if you could call it that, and a picture of a bottle of champagne.

Her eyes flew over the text:

**“CRACKING BOTTLES OPEN INSTEAD OF NUTS” **

_The yearly opening of the Nutcracker is usually a formal and pretty affair. The guest invited are all distinguished people and the royal family always sends a few members to act as representatives. As usual our dear Lady Fitz was in attendance, as was her brother (pairing up with beautiful girlfriend Anne Pettifer, see next page for photographs), but as expected our Marchioness couldn’t get through anything without heaps of booze. _ _“She ordered all of our bottles,” says an insider at the Opera, “We always stock our best ones for the Nutcracker, and she drank them all.” _ _We are informed that guests normally get served a glass or two of wine when they arrive, but of course that wasn’t enough for the Royal Sponge. She was also the last to leave the opera, “She always uses a long time in the bathrooms,” and “I once found an empty bottle of Krug next to the toilet when she left” says the source. _ _She is here seen leaving together with an unknown, and obviously intoxicated young woman (Who is wearing a jacket that should have been burned in 1994)._

Without thinking Charlotte crumbled up the magazine in her hands, and hissed, “What a load of lying – “

“Hey! Are you going to pay for that?” The cashier yelled at her.

Lucy took out a handful of notes and stuffed them into his hand, “Sorry about that,” she said and started packing up their items, while Charlotte still stood with the magazine that was now reduced to a ball of wrinkles in her hands.

When they left, with arms full of heavy bags, Lucy said, “You need to get a new jacket.”


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

**Isabella**

“Thank you Esther, you always do a wonderful job on my curls” Isabella said, and admired herself in the mirror.

Esther laughed softly and fluffed Isabella’s hair one last time, “You make my work easy.”

It had been let out for the evening, and Esther had styled it in a casual half-up do; it was parted in the middle and some of the strands were twisted back and gathered in an elegant hair clip adorned with white stones and silver leaves.

Isabella had decided against wearing a dress for the night; she didn’t feel like being restricted at Harcourts party, and the very simply advantage of wearing pants, was that she could move faster if she needed to. Away from Harcourt.

She stood up from the vanity and let Esther help her get into her shoes. They had decided for a pair of shiny, black and pointy heels that went well with her suit. Esther passed her a pair of sapphire earrings, and while she put them in, Isabella smiled and studied herself in a large antique mirror. Her suit was of elegant blue velvet, with mossy green lapels and a low cut. She felt exquisite.

Her mood was normally low on this evening of the year, and therefore, the goal of the night had always been to get it over with as fast as possible. But tonight, she felt giddy with excitement. She hadn’t told anyone about her other plans for the night, and she wanted to keep it that way. It had been five days since she had stood on Charlotte’s steps and accepted, what she hoped had been an invitation.

Still, she found herself desperately wanting to tell Esther about the mystery woman she had met, but after a life full of gossip and press, Isabella had learned to keep her cards close to her chest; you never knew who your friends really were, and what they wanted from you, so secrets was something she carried alone.

Like she had kept it a secret, that she hadn’t been thinking about anything else for the last five days than tonight, or how she hadn’t told a single soul that it was because of a woman whom she barely knew.

A woman who had swept her completely off her feet.

This was also part of a secret that she had never shared with anyone. It was only something that had slowly entered her mind while she was growing up, and something, fueled by the things Harcourt said and did to her, that had made her doubt the state of her mind even more.

Until, many years ago, she had laid alone in her bed and whispered it into the darkness; _I like women._

This secret wasn’t one that bothered her; in fact, it felt like something that no matter how much her brother would try, he could never take away from her.

There had been a few women who had caught her eyes over the years. Beautiful woman at meetings, dinners or things where she was playing the role of a socialite. Small touches and hidden looks, but she had never taken the leap and thrown herself into deep water. It was simply easier not to. But now, she felt engulfed by a fire that just wouldn’t be put out, no matter how much she tried to extinguish it. And so, for the first time in her life, she found that she simply _couldn’t let it go._

She let out a sigh and smiled in the mirror.

“You seem very content tonight,” Esther said and helped her get into a long black overcoat.

“Do I?” Isabella chuckled and took the gloves Esther gave her, “It must be because I’m excited for the new year.”

In the car she checked her phone for messages. Julia was also attending, and she had sent a photograph of the traffic her and James were stuck in, along with a text that read, _‘Have already started drinking because of this nightmare.’_

Isabella laughed and caught Fred’s eye in the rear-view mirror, “I’m very thankful for you driving me around tonight Fred.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure Ma’am", he said and turned a corner, "I’m going to celebrate plenty tomorrow evening.”

Even though Isabella had told him numerous times to call her by her first name, he insisted that ‘Ma’am’ was the most informal greeting he would allow himself to call her by.

“Well that lightens my conscience immensely,” she said and added, “But I insist you go home after my last stop for the evening. I can easily take a cab home.”

Fred let out a hearty laugh, “A cab? Ma’am, tonight you won’t be able to catch a cab, no matter who you are.”

“Oh – well then I’ll just walk.”

But Fred just laughed even harder, “I appreciate it Ma’am, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting you walk home alone tonight”, he shook his head and turned his attention back to the road, “ - besides, I gathered you would leave at the usual time tonight?”

Isabella looked out the window and smiled, “I won’t stay long at my brothers place no,” she said, “but it isn’t our last stop of the evening.”

* * *

** _Charlotte_ **

She had just sprayed perfume to her pulse points when she heard the doorbell ring downstairs and Lucy greet, “Welcome! To the famous Lush and Buzzed party!”

Voices filled the hallway and Charlotte stepped in front of her mirror for one last inspection. She threw a curl over her shoulder and grinned at her reflection.

“Charlotte _will _you get down here!” Lucy yelled and Charlotte blew a kiss at herself and ran down the stairs to join her sister.

Guests had been coming into the house in a steady flow for a while and when Charlotte thought that they couldn’t possible fit any more people inside, the bell would ring again, and she would let yet another stranger inside.

“Just _how _many people did you invite?” She hissed at Lucy as she closed the door after a man who smelled of stale beer.

“Oh, relax, not that many. That’s George from the pub; I had to invite him - he’s a sure party starter.”

“You can’t just invite anyone!” Charlotte said and locked the door.

“Well, look who’s talking – weren’t you the one who invited the palace?”

“Shhh!” She grabbed Lucy’s arm and pulled her down the hallway and into the spandrel underneath the stairs. It was the only place that was still deserted of people.

“Wha – “, Lucy protested and pushed a broom out of her face as Charlotte slammed the little door shut after them.

“Listen, I don’t want you to mention anything about me inviting Lady Fitzwilliam tonight alright?” she said and pulled a string, so a little bulb above their heads came to life.

“Why on earth _not?" _Lucy puffed and dusted off her dress,_ "_It’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever done!

“First of all, that’s not true. And second,” Charlotte looked down at her hands and wrinkled her brows, “I don’t want to jinx it. She might not even come after all. It was a strange invitation.”

“Charlotte, we’ve been over this a _thousand_ times – she said she would come.”

“Yes but,” she started, but Lucy opened the door and light streamed inside the little room.

“I am going to go outside now, and when you come out, could you please bring your balls with you?”

Then she left and closed the door.

Leaving Charlotte alone with brooms and spiders. And no balls.

* * *

** _Isabella_ **

On another side of town, Isabella found herself surrounded by a lot of fake smiles and laughter. She was standing in the hall of her brother’s large house holding an aperitif.

After having made a quick entrance she had immediately walked over to the canapés and drinks. Scanning the room, she saw Anne standing by a small table not far away. She was the friendliest face Isabella recognized and she looked lovely in a long golden dress, but the smile that Anne greeted her with seemed strained.

“How are you tonight Anne?” Isabella said as she kissed her cheeks.

Anne’s smile was stretched, and her voice sounded far away, “Very well thank you” and Isabella instantly knew that she was lying.

A waiter walked by with a tray full of champagne flutes and Isabella grabbed one and gave it to Anne, “I want you to know that you can always come to me with anything.”

Anne looked at her with glassy eyes and Isabella reached over to touch her arm, “And I mean _anything_ Anne. I know how my brother can be.”

“I – “, Anne stammered, but she was interrupted when a hand pulled her into the side of Harcourt.

“You _do_ know me better than most, dear Izzy,” he said with his eyes fixed on Isabella while he pressed a hard kiss to Anne’s temple.

“Harcourt,” Isabella said and felt her face begin to contort into one of disgust, “the man on the hour.”

“Yes, here I am. Your devoted brother”, he said and squeezed Anne’s side.

Isabella plastered a saccharine smile to her face, “Sorely missed”, and waved her glass towards the middle of the hall where a large ice sculpture of a bird was standing.

“You really have outdone yourself this year,” she said and took a small sip of her champagne, “very artistic. Did you sculpt it yourself? Perhaps with a little hammer?”

“Do you like it?” Harcourt smiled and looked over to the sculpture, “It’s a nightingale.”

Isabella arched an eyebrow, “Why so specific? I didn’t know you had an interest in ornithology.”

“No? I’ve taken a special interest in birds lately. Did you know that nightingales have the most beautiful song of any bird?” His smile turned sininster as he held Anne closer, “But if you cage them, they stop singing.”

Isabella’s smile fell; the sooner she got out of there, the better.

Thankfully dinner provided a little bit of sanctuary. Although she was seated close to Harcourt, the large table was arranged in a horseshoe formation, and so she found that he couldn’t get to her from where he was sitting. She was between Julia and a man whom she didn’t know, and across from her, was old Lady Brambly. 

Julia kept asking the old Lady inappropriate questions and the man, who Isabella soon found out, was one of Harcourts old chauffeurs was extremely polite and kind. She was sure she had been seated exactly where she was as an insult, but she found that she was having a wonderful time. Maybe it was the wine and the people around her, but she suspected that the feeling of excitement and happiness, was also coming from the knowledge, that in a few hours she would leave and go see Charlotte.

She leaned in and whispered to Julia, “I won’t be staying for the fireworks tonight I’m afraid.”

Julia looked at her and gave her a little smile, “I won’t pretend that I’m not disappointed,” she said and took a bite of her food, “Nor will I feign surprise; you always leave me when it’s just starting to get fun.”

“I know dear, I’m sorry, I –“

“You don’t have to explain Bella,” Julia interrupted and laid a hand across hers on the table, “Maybe one day you’ll tell me why.”

Dinner was filled with speeches and delicious foods, and after desert, Harcourt stood up and declared that they would continue with drinks in the ballroom.

This was usually when Isabella left, and so she squeezed Julia’s hand, excused herself and walked towards the bathrooms.

In the powder room she looked herself over in the mirror. Her makeup and hair still looked perfect and she send a thankful thought to Esther, as she checked her watch; there was still three hours till midnight. She took out her phone to text Fred that she would be out shortly, but then the door behind her swung open, and in the mirror, she saw Harcourt come in and slowly move towards her.

She pretended not to care and quickly send the text to Fred, as Harcourt came all the way up to her and pressed his front to her back.

“Aren’t you supposed to be entertaining your guests?” She spat at him and put her phone away. He began to stroke her arm and looked her up and down in the mirror.

“What are you doing Izzy?” He hummed in her ear, “Running away again?”

“I have somewhere else to be”, she said and tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her harshly back towards him. His mouth was right next to her ear, and she pinched her eyes together, “Why? Your mood tonight is so much more enjoyable than the depressing atmosphere you normally bring with you.”

“Let me go Harcourt”, she hissed and tried to jerk her arm from him, but he just spun her around and seized her in an iron grip.

“If I were you,” he whispered, “I would tone down this silly display of stubbornness. One could start to think that you were being a reckless fool and that would be,” he paused and tilted his head closer to sniff her neck, “- a very unfortunate situation for you, since I can stop the convenient flow of money you so enjoy.”

She ripped her arms from his hands, and he bit his lip in a challenging smile, “Then do it”, she hissed and stormed out of the room.

* * *

_ **Charlotte** _

“Charlotte! I need to talk to you about a shift!” Emily yelled and started walking towards her and Fanny. They were sitting in a sofa, and Charlotte looked up just in time to see Emily get intercepted by Lucy, who stuffed a very large drink into her hands and said, “I told you – it’s forbidden to talk work tonight.”

“But the schedule,” Emily tried and looked at Charlotte, but Lucy just added a straw into the drink and send her a stern look. Emily mouthed _‘later’_ at Charlotte who just shrugged her shoulders.

Throughout the whole evening she had found it very difficult to concentrate on anything or anyone. Every time a car would drive by, she would glance toward a window and forget everything else around her. As the hours dragged by, she slowly came to the realization that Isabella probably wouldn’t turn up.

And of course, she wouldn’t. Charlotte had been a fool for thinking that she would. Isabella was probably somewhere surrounded by fancy rich people, with heaps of food and drinks everywhere and waiters dancing around her. Charlotte just hoped that she wasn’t laughing with her friends about the stupid little flight attendant who had invited her to a party.

She sighed and stirred her drink as Fanny still talked next to her. A car drove by and its lights shined through the window behind the sofa, and she turned her head to look outside, but only managed to see the taillights swing around a corner as it drove away.

“Charlotte?” Fanny said and touched her arm, “You seem far away - are you waiting for someone?”

“What?” Charlotte quickly looked back at her, “No, no – I was only checking for more of Lucy’s guests”, she lied and took a sip of her drink, “Sorry, what were you saying about that copper character you’re dating?”

Later, as she maneuvered her way through the mass of people filling her house, she came face to face with Nancy.

“Oh! Are you already here?” Charlotte asked, “How was your dinner? Did you come with Ma and Pa?”

Nancy jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “We’ve been here for a while.”

On a table behind her, was Charlotte’s mother in the middle of singing a ballad while Pa was blowing a melody into an empty bottle of gin.

“Well, that’s a showstopper” Charlotte laughed and took Nancy’s arm, “Let me show you to the bar.”

They pushed their way towards a homemade bar, that her and Lucy had spent the day building. The house was full of music and dancing, and normally Charlotte would have felt elevated and happy, but tonight, the feeling just wouldn’t come to her. 

The bar was already occupied by the man Lucy had invited from the pub, George or something like that, Charlotte thought, and he was quick to serve them drinks.

She took a sip and the liquid burned down her throat, “What’s in this George?” she coughed and Nancy slapped her on the back.

“You needn’t worry yourself ‘bout that love”, he mumbled from behind the bar and made another for himself.

“So,” Nancy snatched the drink out of Charlotte’s hand and threw its contents into a plant, “do you want tell me what you’re sulking about?”

“What – I – nothing!” Charlotte coughed and raised her eyebrows, “I’m not sulking!”

Another car drove by outside, and again she looked to the windows. It drove by the house and she groaned.

“Right,” Nancy laughed and threw her own drink away too. Charlotte made a mental note to not water that plant any time soon.

“She’s going to turn up you know - I’m willing to bet on it.”

“You – I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Should we take a bet?” Nancy ignored her and walked behind the bar, “Lucy didn’t want to gamble on it because we both agree that she’s coming, but you seem more pessimistic – how ‘bout 10 pounds?”

“Lucy told you?” Charlotte spluttered and looked for her sister. She was going to –

“Relax, before you explode will ya’?” Nancy said, took hold of George’s shirt and threw him out, “Lucy only told me, since I’m your wing man.”

Charlotte leaned in over the counter and whispered, “My _wing man?”_

“Yes, that’s me,” Nancy said self-satisfied and rubbed her hands together, “So, what’ll it be? I think you would benefit from something tall, sweet and expensive. I’ll get right on it.”

Charlotte snorted but couldn’t help the smile that spread on her face when Nancy, only a little later, gave her a drink in a highball glass topped with a sweetened cherry.

A few hours before midnight the guests who had brought fireworks, were all preparing for the cold outside. Nancy had gone to fetch her annually _monster-rocket _and so, Charlotte had taken over bar duty.

She had just served a very large glass of gin to George, when Emily came up to lean on the counter.

“Can you work on the 2nd?”

She was wrapped in a big blue jacket, had a fury trapper hat on her head and was looking at Charlotte with a stubborn look.

“Erm – that’s in two days”, Charlotte said and nodded at the hat, “charming.”

“Yeah, yeah shut it.” Emily said and snapped her finger in the direction of a gin bottle. “I got it in Moscow. Also, I promised Hall I would assist with his fireworks”, she groaned and downed the glass Charlotte had just given her, “Whatever that means.”

“As long as you to wear eye protection”, Charlotte teased and put the cork back in the bottle.

Emily snorted, “So, what about the 2nd? Can you work?”

Charlotte paused. She had been planning to finally have some time off, “It's a little last-minute Emily. I was planning to lay low for the next week.”

Emily gave her an apologetic smile, “I know - and I’m really sorry to ask, but it’s my first red eye flight of the new year, and I could really use you on it. I want it to be perfect.”

“Can’t you ask Fredo?” Charlotte tried, but Emily just rolled her eyes.

“Fredo? He’s too sweet and soft for this one. Besides,” she said and took out her phone, “I need someone who’s experienced up in first. I can book you in right now.”

“I don’t know Emily – “

“See -,” she said and turned her phone towards Charlotte. It was showing their work scheduling app, and underneath all the flight information was Charlottes name, and next to it, it said –

“Purser”, Charlotte whispered and looked at the title.

“Yes – I’ll up you for this one if you take it. It’s high time anyways.”

She took her phone back and hovered her finger over it, “So? What do you say? Do you want a promotion or not?”

“This is blackmail,” Charlotte mumbled, but didn’t have to think very long about her answer, before she said, “Yes alright”, and Emily pushed the ‘confirm’ button.

“Fantastic”, Emily sighed and stuffed her phone back into her pocket, “Soooo – who are you going to smooch at midnight?”

“By the looks of it,” Charlotte said and pursed her lips, “I’ll be kissing myself”.

“Hmm... Well, that’s depressing,” Emily said and looked over her shoulder to George who was swaying with Lucy’s other pub friends in front of the stereo.

Tipping her head towards them, she joked, “Well, if all else fails, then I’m sure one of those dimwits would give their right arm to get a taste of your luscious lips.”

Charlotte made a face at her, “I think I’m going to pass on that.”

“Suit yourself”, Emily shrugged and turned her head in the direction of the hallway, when a very large group of drunk people fell inside laughing.

“Lucy’s friends?” She asked and Charlotte nodded, “Yes, I think she invited every pub in town.”

“Well,” Emily fastened the button on the flaps of her hat, “I wish I could help you out with that, but I've got to go and find Hall.”

“Have fun!” Charlotte yelled after her and put a coin into the box they used as a cash register. Her and Lucy had decided to try to earn back some of the money they had used for the party, and so far, they had already reached their goal. 

The newcomers were quick to find the bar and wasted no time at putting her to work.

“Maybe I should change careers”, she mumbled as she opened yet another beer and passed it to a man who kept asking for her phone number.

“For the last time, _no! _Go away!” she yelled and shooed at him.

He mumbled something about soulmates when the doorbell suddenly rang through the loud music.

“Who’s ringing the _doorbell?” _Charlotte asked no one in particular, and pushed another beer over the counter. When it rang again, George turned the volume up on the stereo.

“For gods sake!” She hissed, threw her kitchen towel on the counter and yelled at him, “Can you take over for a moment?”

“It’s open!” she shouted and walked swiftly towards the door in the hallway, “Christ! It’s like the fucking central station in here anyways! Just come in!" In a swift motion she yanked the door open and hissed, “Just get a fucking move on or - “, right in the face of Isabella. 

Isabella who looked like she had just come out of one of Charlottes dreams. Isabella who looked so stunning, that if Charlotte hadn’t been so suddenly and acutely paralyzed, she thought she would have melted into a puddle right then and there.

“Is this a bad time?”

“Um –“, she croaked and glanced behind Isabella. The big luxurious car that had driven her home some days before, was now parked outside. Fred the driver, was standing with his hands folded, waiting.

She looked back to Isabella and felt a smile spread on her face, “No, no – you’re right on time”, she said and shook her head to bring back some of her senses.

Isabella looked over her shoulder, “Thank you, Fred. I’ll message you later”. Fred tipped his hat and got back into the car and drove away.

At that moment a man wearing a large golden hat, pushed his way around Charlotte and nearly collided with Isabella, “Sorry love”, he slurred and stumbled out into the street, and then, Charlotte realized that she had invited Isabella to a house that, at the moment, was full of every alcoholic who lived in the city.

But Isabella only laughed and said, “Would you like to give me the tour?”

“Oh! Of course!”, Charlotte moved so she could allow Isabella to step onto the carpet and inside the little hallway, “Please come inside, let me take your coat.”

She carefully took the jacket off Isabella’s shoulders and made the decision to lead her anywhere else than to the homemade bar, but before she could distract her with a boring fruit bowl down the hallway, Isabella had looked through the doorway that lead to the living room.

“You have a bar in the middle of your house!” She exclaimed and walked inside. Charlotte winched and ran in after her.

“Well kind of yes,” she said when she caught up with her, “We build one every year.”

“It has a whip standing in the middle of it”, Isabella grinned and reached up to touch it.

“Erm – yes that’s –um -”

“So,” Isabella put her elbow on the counter, laid her head in her hand and in a low voice purred, “are you the owner of this fine establishment?”

She then crossed one high-heeled foot in front of the other and smiled at Charlotte.

Standing there and looking like that, Isabella could have asked Charlotte anything and she would have answered yes. She was smiling alluringly at her and her hair was falling in soft curls around her face. The suit she was wearing was a dazzling blue color that matched the little stones that laid in her earrings. She looked so elegant that Charlotte just wanted to reach out and protect her from everyone around her.

“What’ll it be love?” George asked from behind the bar.

Isabella turned her head and politely said, “Just whatever you have please.”

To her horror, Charlotte saw George nod and reach for the brown mystery flask he had brought with him, and she quickly interjected, “Just two gin tonics please George.”

“This is so much better than where I just came from”, Isabella chuckled and looked back to Charlotte who was suspiciously eyeing George as he made their drinks.

“Everyone seems so relaxed,” she said and looked back over the dancing people.

Charlotte laughed and took the drinks from George, “Believe me – “, she sniffed one drink before handing it to Isabella, “ - they are.”

Pretty soon Charlotte found herself feeling happier than she had felt during the entire day. She quickly realized that Isabella had absolutely no problem handling vulgar drunks, and when somebody had asked her if she still worked at the dentist office downtown, Isabella had just answered with a serious ‘yes’ and reveled in the fact that nobody knew who she was.

Charlotte was in the middle of complimenting her earrings, a very good reason she thought, for moving in closer, when someone called her name. She was holding the little piece of jewelry and found herself looking into Isabella’s eyes instead of the thing in her hand,

“Charlotte – it’s almost midnight, let’s go and see the –“

She turned her head slowly but didn’t let go of the earring. Lucy was standing in the door to the living room wearing all of her winter clothes with a vacant expression on her face.

“- fireworks.”

“Hello again”, Charlotte heard Isabella say.

“Lady Fitz!” Lucy called out and walked over to join them at the bar, leaving wet footprints behind.

“Um – I mean, Lady Fitzwilliam of course”, she quickly corrected herself and arched an eyebrow at Charlotte who then finally let go of the earring, let her hand slowly slide down Isabella’s arm and then, to her surprise, she felt fingers curl around hers and be wrapped in a warm soft hand.

“Please,” Isabella said to Lucy, and Charlotte saw a sweet pink blush spread in her fair cheeks, “Call me Isabella.”

“Well, I just came to say that it’s almost midnight, and that Pa has all the rockets ready.” Lucy said and quickly glanced down to Isabella and Charlotte’s now joined hands, “but – erm - if you’re busy then I’ll just see you later.”

“Oh no! We’ll come with you!” Isabella said and gave her a warm smile, “I love fireworks!”

They walked outside together with Lucy, who quickly excused herself and went over to Nancy who was squatting down next to a colossal rocket.

The street was alive with happy people who were all preparing their fireworks and the bottles they were going to pop when the clock would strike twelve. Charlotte led Isabella to the other side of the street and leaned against the house opposite theirs. Isabella came to stand next to her and let out a breath that immediately turned into a little puff of white air. Then she also leaned against the house and turned her head to look at Charlotte with a sad smile, “I wish I could have come sooner.”

“Oh, don’t worry - you didn’t miss much,” Charlotte said and looked over to her family and friends who had almost gotten all their fireworks ready; it took up most of the sidewalk and a good portion of the street.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much firework before -” Isabella chuckled, and Charlotte laughed, “ - nor ever such big rockets.”

She tipped her head in the direction of Nancy and asked, “Is that your friend who walked me out of the airport?”

“Yes,” Charlotte smiled as Nancy put on a pair of protective glasses, “That’s Nancy. She’s our in-house bomb expert.”

Isabella hummed and a comfortable silence fell over them as they looked at the people around them. Charlotte desperately wanted to hold Isabella’s hand again, and just when she had found the courage to reach for it, Isabella exclaimed, “Oh! I almost forgot – ” and she quickly drew back her hand.

Isabella rummaged for something inside her jacket for a little while, and then, she drew out a little ball shaped thing wrapped in a napkin.

“I completely forgot I had it,” she said and gave Charlotte the small package, “I hope I haven’t flattened it on the way here.”

Charlotte looked at the thing now lying in her hands and then back up at Isabella who smiled and ushered, “Come on, open it.”

She unfolded the cloth to reveal the most delicate little cake she had ever seen.

“It’s a petit four,” Isabella said and smiled down at the cake in Charlotte’s hands, “I saw them at my brothers party and thought they looked delicious”, she shrugged her shoulders, “so I thought you should have one.”

Charlotte brought it closer to her face to have a better look. On a little round piece of white chocolate, a pink orb had been placed. It was covered with something that looked like purple crystals, and on top of it, a green leaf was resting.

“Is it broken?” Isabella asked with frowned brows and bended down to see, but Charlotte looked up at her and said, “What is it with you getting me things without tasting or smelling them for yourself first?”

“I – Uh – I“, Isabella stammered and gave a nervous laugh, and without taking her eyes off her, Charlotte took the little cake in her mouth. 

It was, of course, delicious, and without knowing it yet, Isabella had just served her the most perfect dessert she could have asked for.

Around them people began to count down from ten and Charlotte pushed herself off the wall and walked to stand in front of Isabella. She took hold of the lapels of the long black coat she was wearing, stroked her thumbs across the soft fabric and swallowed the little piece of heaven in her mouth.

“It tastes fantastic,” she said and locked eyes with Isabella. They were round and glassy, her mouth was slightly open and Charlotte heard her take in a breath as people shouted ‘Happy New Year’ behind them.

Charlotte licked her lips as the sound of rockets whistled towards the sky and exploded overhead. A multitude of colors erupted and were reflected in Isabella’s eyes.

She was so close to her.

“You didn’t try the cake, did you?”

“No.” Isabella whispered, and with a taste of berries and vanilla on her tongue, Charlotte reached up to cup her face and brought their lips together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and commented - it's extremely motivating and every single one makes me smile.

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

Even if fireworks were exploding everywhere around her, they were _nothing_ compared to the bombardment that instantly erupted inside her when her lips touched Charlotte’s. When she suddenly stood so close to her, every sound was muffled and pushed far away, and when Charlotte then pulled her into a kiss, a sense of relief washed over her.

Her lips were soft and moved carefully against her own, and she felt herself melt completely into it and forget everything - before it ended all too soon. Charlotte’s hands were still laying on her cheeks, and as Isabella looked into her eyes, she found that she wanted nothing more than to kiss her again and again and again. She put her arms around her waist, and slowly brushed her lips over hers. Charlotte shuddered in her arms and moved her hands up to cup the back of her neck to pull her in for another kiss - deeper and more urgent this time, and when Charlotte opened her mouth and Isabella felt their tongues brush, time stood still.

She was the sweetest thing that she had ever tasted, and Isabella thought she could have stayed like that forever; against that brick wall amongst snowdrifts and shining lights. A whimper escaped her and when Charlotte hummed in response, a sound of a throat being cleared behind them, forced them to draw apart.

She felt hands slowly fall from her neck down to her hips, and as she opened her eyes, to a world she for a moment had blissfully forgotten existed, she saw Fred.

Fred, who was standing a few feet away from them, with his hands folded and the car still running behind him on the street.

“Ma’am,” he began as Isabella wondered why she wasn’t kissing Charlotte anymore, “I’m terribly sorry to disturb you, but I’ve gotten a tip that the press are on their way here.”

Her mind felt slow and lazy; like it was still floating somewhere far away on a completely different plane.

“The press?” she asked and furrowed her brows.

“Yes, Ma’am. They’re on their way here now.”

A large firecracker exploded close by and her breath hitched. Suddenly, she felt how _warm_ she was. In fact, how utterly _flushed _she was. She put a hand to her burning cheek and looked around her. Loud bangs and explosions now came back to their full volume, the hands that lay on her hips felt heavy, and the realization of where she was and _what _she was doing, hit her.

There she was; pressed against a house in the middle of a street with a woman between her legs. If the press found her like this, they would extinguish the last bit of her already tainted reputation. Not that it really mattered anymore, but the repercussions of what it could carry with it worried her; if Harcourt found out - how would he then use it against her?

She glanced back at Charlotte who was looking at Fred. And _how_ would he use it against the woman she was holding in her arms?

Isabella cleared her throat and pushed herself off the brick wall while Charlotte took a step back and removed her hands from her.

“I see,” Isabella swallowed and smoothed down her coat, “how long before they get here?”

Fred glanced at his watch, “Maybe five minutes. At the most.”

“Right,” she nodded, and a heavy feeling sank into place inside her, “thank you Fred, I’ll be right there.”

He dipped his head and walked back to stand at the passenger door of the car.

Charlotte was still looking at Fred with clouded eyes that Isabella couldn’t read. It was dark in the street and though the cold had quickly tried to reclaim its former hold over her, Isabella’s cheeks still burned, and her lips tasted of the dream she had just been so violently woken up from.

She reached out and took both of Charlotte’s hands into her own, “I’m sorry.”

“You have to leave?”, Charlotte said and looked down at their clasped hands.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Will I see you again?”

Charlotte suddenly looked so small and fragile, and a sadness that hadn’t been there before, now lay around her. Isabella furrowed her brows, lifted their hands to her lips and kissed Charlotte's knuckles.

“Of course, you will,” she smiled, but then felt a pang in her heart as she realized, “Oh – I fly back on the 2nd.”

But instead of mirroring the frown that was now etched on Isabella’s forehead, a small grin spread on Charlotte’s face instead.

“Back to New York?”

“Yes.”

“The same airline and departure as the last time?”

Isabella nodded and Charlotte arched an eyebrow at her, “Well, in that case, I can forgive you for leaving me now.”

Tilting her head, Isabella was about to ask Charlotte if what she was implying, was indeed what she _thought _she was implying, when sounds of scooters roared in the distance.

“Ma’am we should go”, Fred called from the car and Isabella bit her lip, “I’d better go,” she said, and a tightness took hold in her chest as the sounds of the scooters increased.

“Go”, Charlotte whispered, and then, she stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to Isabella’s lips - and at that, the tightness melted away and as Isabella walked to the car, she felt light and blissful.

* * *

_ **Charlotte** _

“I don’t understand how you can be so energetic -”, Lucy groaned as she tied her bathrobe and slipped into her slippers, “It’s annoying.”

Charlotte pulled her hoodie over her head, “What? Do you feel dreadful?” she grinned and tickled her sister.

“Noo, stop it,” Lucy cried and tried to wave her hands off, “I’ll vomit if you don’t.” Charlotte laughed and took her arm, “Come on. Ma’s full English will chipper you right up.”

“Good morning!” Charlotte sang as they walked into their parents’ kitchen. Lucy pushed herself away from her with a groan, dumped into a chair at the kitchen table, and grumbled, “Not so loud!”

“Feeling the effects of the bottle darling?” Ma said as she came over and sat down a huge plate of shiny sausages on the table. It was already full of everything needed to complete Ma’s cure for a headache. Lucy quickly reached for a plate and started pouring everything onto it. Charlotte stole a piece of bacon and skipped to the coffee machine that had just dinged on the counter.

“’Morning,” she heard Pa croak and turned to see him shuffle into the kitchen and slowly lower himself into a chair next to Lucy. Charlotte strode over and sat a cup of coffee down in front of him and went back to make herself another while she hummed.

“What’s she so cheerful about?” Pa asked Lucy who groaned while she chewed on a huge mouthful of mushrooms.

“I’m just excited for the New Year,” Charlotte said happily as she walked back to the table and sat down, “What’s so wrong with that?”

She reached for the fried tomatoes and started filling some on her plate, as Ma came to join them with a pot of tea.

“I would also be excited if I had been pressing a Lady against our neighbors house as the New Year rang in”, Lucy said and poured tea for herself. The food had seemed to bring some of her stamina back, but the melancholy returned to her voice as she spiked a sausage and added, “But alas, other people had to do with George from the pub swallowing them whole.”

Charlotte snorted and took a bite of her buttered toast.

“Oh yes! I did see you kiss that lady dentist Charlotte! You little flirt!” Ma said and poked her in the ribs while she cackled, “She certainly did get a good look at your choppers last night, didn’t she?”

The table went quiet and Ma’s laugh stilled, “Wha’?” she said and looked confused, “Someone told me she works at the clinic downtown!”

“Ma...” Lucy put her fork down and started to shake as she tried not to laugh, “She’s not a dentist.”

“So? Who is she then?” Ma asked and turned to Charlotte who just felt her face go red, “Erm, well –“

“Margaret,” Pa smiled from the other side of the table and swallowed a bite, “the woman you saw Charlotte snog, was Lady Fitz.”

“Lady Fitz?” Ma’ said, while Charlotte mumbled, “Her name’s Isabella", but her mother just turned in her chair and asked, “That royal woman who gave you a perfume?”

“Yes Ma, that’s her. So?" Charlotte slowly sat her toast down and raised her eyebrows at her, "What’s so interesting about that?”

“Well, nothing – I just,” Ma stuttered and looked at Lucy, “people have just been talking a lot about her lately, and I’m interested in my children’s affairs so –“

_“People –“,_ Charlotte interrupted her and pursed her lips at Lucy who was still shaking with laughter, “ - talk too much. Besides, I’ve kissed loads of people,” she concluded and squared her shoulders, “so you can _all_ relax.”

“Alright, alright Char’,” Ma said and patted her on the back, “We’ll let you be.”

“But,” Lucy said and pinched her lips together as she looked at Charlotte with wide eyes, “I’ve never seen you kiss anyone who’s called Ma’am before.”

And then, she leaned back in her chair and let out a roaring laugh while Charlotte fumed.

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

“Is everything prepared Ned?” Isabella asked as she closed her suitcase and lifted it off the bed.

“Yes,” Ned said and walked over from the doorway with a tablet in his hand. “Your flight leaves at 5.30 pm and the car is already waiting outside” he finished and handed her a folder.

“Oh wonderful,” Isabella said and slipped it into her leather briefcase, “thank you.”

Ned had been a stroke of luck for her. When Harcourt had insisted that he needed to take his old assistant Mr. Haxby back from her, she had only argued weakly and pretended to care, before she had gladly sent the stiff and cold assistant back to her brother's wits. She hadn’t wasted any time in finding a new one, and even though she couldn’t offer a pay as high as she would have liked to, she had been lucky when Julia had recommended Ned who was fresh out of business school. He was reliable, kind, hardworking and completely on Isabella's side. Which was an unusual, but very welcome feeling for her.

“I’ll see you over there in - what is it?” she asked as he helped her get into her coat, “two days?”

“Yes, I’ll finish up here and then take the first flight to meet you.”

Outside, Fred was waiting with the car, and after Ned had passed him Isabella’s suitcase, he gave her a hug - something which was also quite unusual, but something that Ned had done from the first day he had worked for her - he hadn’t stopped since, and Isabella found, that she wouldn’t want him to.

“Excited for your journey Ma’am?” Fred asked as they passed through the cold streets of London. It was already starting to get dark, and outside the car people were hurrying through the streets to escape the cold.

Excited was an understatement, she thought and smiled at him in the rear-view mirror. It had only been a little more than a day since she had gone to Charlotte’s house with nothing more than a wish of just wanting to see her again, and perhaps, with the slightest glimmer of hope that Charlotte would also want to see Isabella again. Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that the night would end with Charlotte capturing her lips in a kiss that had left a feeling that still vibrated inside her.

Isabella sighed happily, “Yes, very excited”, and laid her head against the cold window.

But when her mind started to wonder, the feeling could quickly change into an uncomfortable one without warning. One that carried with it, doubt and a fluttering heart in her chest.

Charlotte had said that she could forgive her for leaving so suddenly that night - because Isabella would be flying today. _What had she meant?_

She had replayed the moment over and over again, and every time she did, Charlotte was smirking and had a glimmer in her eye. Isabella had immediately drawn the conclusion that Charlotte would be working as a flight attendant on her flight, but what if she was wrong? What if she had misunderstood the whole thing? But Charlotte _had _asked her if she would see her again, and that had to mean something. But what if she would be spending the next hours in an airplane feeling like a fool? Without the woman whom she couldn’t stop thinking about, and in her stead a feeling of emptiness? Isabella shook her head and damned her own insecurity and the excessive thoughts it brought with it.

When they arrived at the airport Fred opened the door for her and handed her her suitcase. She took it and then just stood on the pavement, handle in hand and ready to go, but unable to move.

“Everything alright Ma’am?” 

She took a long breath and laid a hand on his arm, “Yes, thank you Fred,” she swallowed thickly and with a smile said, “Thank you for asking.”

* * *

_**Charlotte**_

“Do you know if the cleaning has been up here?” Emily yelled from the end of the cabin as Charlotte went through business class to inspect the seats.

“Yes, they have,” she called back, walked all the way up through first class and reached Emily in the galley. She had pulled out all their carts and was checking the lists stuck to the tops of them, “Well it isn’t good enough...”

They had a little more than an hour to prepare for the flight, and most of the preparation was spent arranging the tiny space holding all the items their passengers could choose from. Emily had a strict system and so Charlotte spent the next thirty minutes organizing the cabins that never had enough room.

When she finally had everything done and had set the last coffee pot to brew, the pilots came in, and Emily called for a little team meeting at the front.

“So!” she called out over the group of people and put her hands on her hips, “It’s our teams first flight together, and,” she tilted her head in Charlotte’s direction, “it’s also Charlotte’s first time as purser. She will be mainly focusing on pilots, business and first. I’m with all of you, so if you have any burning questions”, she said and pointed to herself with a long whistle, “Got it? Great! Let’s get to work!”

When Emily had checked that everyone was in their positions and the pilots had given them a thumbs up, Charlotte went to open up the jet bridge. She fumbled with the handle, before she could finally pull it into place, and push the door open to secure it.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Emily asked as Charlotte came back to stand next to her. They were at the first entrance of the airplane where the passengers would soon enter, be divided and directed to their seats.

Charlotte let out a long breath and clasped her hands in front of her, “I just want to do well that’s all,” she said and send Emily a smile, “don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Emily squinted her eyes at her and slowly nodded, “Good. Because I want this to go over perfect.”

The truth was that Charlotte felt very nervous. Earlier, when Emily had left her to go and check on the safety measures, Charlotte had immediately abandoned the snacks she was rearranging, and snuck a peek at the monitor storing passenger information. She had quickly found what she had been looking for.

There, almost at the very top of the long list, was a name that made her take in a sharp breath.

_2F - Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam _

Charlotte had taken a steadying breath, quickly pushed some buttons to exit the display and walked back to stand at the cabins in the galley. When Isabella had told her that she would be flying on the same airplane that Charlotte would be working, she had felt excited and happy. But now, those emotions had been pushed down by a smothering nervous feeling that had settled in her chest and stomach. The realization that the woman whom she had been thinking of since she had seen her car drive away, would soon be so close to her again, made her feel dizzy.

“Pull yourself together,” she had whispered to herself and briskly snatched a new basket of snacks that needed to be rearranged.

The phone next to the door beeped and brought her out of her thoughts. She shook her head as Emily reached out and answered it, “Yes?” Emily looked over her shoulder and Charlotte send her a smile that felt too wide, “Aha – yes, we’re ready, send them in.”

Shortly after they heard steps starting to echo through the bridge and Charlotte dug her nails into her clasped hands.

“I hope this panic you’re emanating hasn’t gotten anything to do with Lady Fitz being a passenger?” Emily said and eyed her suspiciously. Charlotte quickly shook her head, “What?” she forced a chuckle, “No, no – I told you – I’m only excited about being purser.”

“Hmmm,” Emily squinted her eyes at her and Charlotte quickly scanned her memory of the party two days ago; Emily had gone off with Hall, but she couldn’t be sure that she hadn’t have seen Isabella either inside or _outside_ the house. It wasn’t like Charlotte had paid much attention to anything else than Isabella; especially not when she had been feverishly kissing her. But, Charlotte thought, if _Emily _of all people had seen them, she certainly would have said something - Charlotte was sure of that at least.

“Alright, but I haven’t forgotten the little perfume exchange that happened last time”, Emily said, and Charlotte let out a silent breath. She looked away from Charlotte and gave a toothy smile to a man who had just rounded the corner inside the bridge. She took a quick look at his boarding pass as he stepped into the airplane and reached out an arm to indicate where his seat in first class was.

And then, Charlotte saw her.

Isabella had been looking down at her phone while walking, but had then glanced up at the door just before reaching it - and with a face full of surprise, she had locked eyes with Charlotte and stopped in her tracks. She let out a small breath that turned into a chuckle and walked the last steps to stand in front of her.

“Hello,” she greeted in a breathy voice that made Charlotte’s heart skip a beat. 

Her clouded brain desperately tried to reboot, but a small “Hi”, was all it could manage as she felt her nervousness soften and diffuse into something else.

Something, that had to do with the memories that her mind was immediately and very inconveniently flooded with; memories of Isabella leaning against a bar in an elegant suit, Isabella laughing at something Charlotte had said, looking at her with sparkling blue eyes and holding her hand. Isabella’s pink and puffy lips just before Charlotte had kissed her and pushed her against a wall - how her lips had felt when she had let herself fall against them, the feeling of her hands in Isabella's hair and on her neck, Isabella whimpering against her lips and –

“Welcome!”, Emily greeted in a high voice next to her - Charlotte blinked, but couldn’t stop the very audible sigh that escaped her mouth.

“Could I see your boarding pass please?”

“Oh,” Isabella stammered and looked away from Charlotte and down to her phone. Her cheeks had gotten a sweet deep blush and she fumbled for a moment before showing her display to Emily who simply nodded and reached and arm out towards first class.

They continued their greeting of the rest of the passengers, and Charlotte wondered how she would get through the next eight hours without combusting.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

Isabella didn’t think she had ever paid this close attention to a safety demonstration before. From her seat, she had a perfect view to Charlotte who expertly went through the instructions that Isabella had already seen and heard a hundred times before on her many flights. Normally when she flew, she would lean back, close her eyes and, from time to time, crack one eye open to see how far along they were in the procedure - but now, she couldn’t look away.

Charlotte looked _so lovely_ in her uniform and when she pointed to the exits, she caught Isabella’s stare and send her a wicked smile, before she continued demonstrating how to put a lifejacket on. 

Earlier when she had seen Charlotte standing in the entrance of the airplane, with hands clasped in front of her and a beaming smile, the gnawing doubt that Isabella had felt, had immediately disappeared and turned into one of relief.

After takeoff, Charlotte disappeared behind a curtain at the end of the aisle, and Isabella pulled out the folder from Ned along with her glasses. She needed to look over the papers for the new trust fund she was trying to set up, but she quickly realized that tonight, her mind wasn’t in the mood to be tamed; it was impossible to fix it on any single track - the only one it wanted to follow, was the one that carried a massive steam train with a destination called _Charlotte._

And so, after reading the same sentence over and over again, she threw both pen and papers into her lap, let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in her seat.

Winter had already pushed the sun completely below the horizon and an almost cloud free sky allowed her to see thousands of little gleaming lights down below. People would be preparing their dinners now, she thought and pushed her glasses into her hair. The lights grew smaller and dimmer as they reached the outskirts of London, and she thought back to the little warm house she had visited on Greek street. Everyone had been so kind and friendly to her - the house itself had radiated a sense of _home _and _family_.

What she wouldn’t give to experience a normal family dinner, with genuine laughter and compassion, with people whom she loved and who loved her too. Without it being wrapped up in a spectacle that forced her to bring out a big fake smile whenever she had to go.

At Greek street she had felt warm and happy, and _on_ Greek street, she thought and laid her fingers on her lips, Charlotte had kissed her. Isabella hummed and felt a warm bubbling feeling begin to spread in her stomach.

“Hello there,” a familiar voice said, and she turned her head, fingers still on her lips, to see Charlotte standing next to her seat.

She was holding a little stack of plastic wrapped packages in her arms, and after having traveled all over her, Isabella’s treacherous eyes promptly landed on Charlotte’s smiling lips.

“Did I catch you mid-thought?”, she chuckled and rested the packages on her hip.

“Oh – erm,” Isabella removed her fingers from her mouth and cleared her throat, “you could say that.”

Charlotte tilted her head and grinned, “Pleasant memories I hope?"

“Very pleasant,” Isabella answered honestly and felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She put her elbow on her armrest and lay her chin in her hand, “I wasn’t sure you would really be here,” she admitted, “I’m very glad you are though.”

The teasing smile that had adorned Charlottes face faded away, and was replaced by a warm soft one instead, “So am I.”

They smiled at each other for longer than what Isabella imagined was normal for passenger and flight attendant, and when Charlotte didn’t say anything else, she pointed to her arms and asked, “What have you got there?”

“Oh!”, Charlotte said and seemed to remember why she had come in the first place. She took one of the packages for Isabella to take, “Um – here is your amenity kit,” and then pulled out a piece of paper, “and here is the menu for tonight along with our drinks assortment.”

Isabella lazily took the things, laid them in her lap and just continued to smile up at Charlotte, “Thank you.” She felt so comfortable and warm, and wanted to do nothing else than reach out and take Charlotte’s hand.

“You’re welcome”, Charlotte croaked and then quickly looked up when a voice drifted out of the speakers around them, “Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon be coming through with a selection of drinks and food. For passengers seated in economy class the menu for tonight will be a selection of –“, Charlotte swallowed and Isabella noticed how her face changed into one that looked like it was exclusively used for work.

“I’ll be back shortly to take your order. If there’s anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” 

The implication of Charlotte’s words was enough for Isabella to suddenly feel a little light-headed, and before she could stop herself, she swept her eyes up and down Charlotte, who’s professional smile had now been accompanied by rosy cheeks. Isabella bit her lips before she slowly said, “I won’t.”

Because they were flying east, she didn’t want to sleep - and even if she had wanted to, it would have been difficult to find rest anyway.

With Charlotte constantly striding up and down the aisle, it was impossible to concentrate on anything. Every time she walked by, Charlotte would catch her eye and whatever Isabella had been trying to do, like swipe through the endless selection of films on the screen, would be lost to her.

She tried to look at the folder for the trust fund again, but then Charlotte brought her, her food, laid a hand on her shoulder and explained something about what was on the plate. Isabella hadn’t heard a single word, and when Charlotte had then let her hand glide down her arm before she walked away, Isabella thought that the appetite she was suddenly feeling, wasn’t for the food placed in front of her.

When her mostly untouched tray was taken away by one of Charlotte’s colleagues, she tried to distract herself with a movie, but then Charlotte brought over a hot towel, leaned in slightly as she passed it to her, and when Isabella clearly hadn’t only been looking into her eyes, Charlotte smiled and send her a lazy wink.

In her frustration she pulled out a boring book as a last attempt to busy herself, but just as she had decided that now _she really would concentrate,_ Charlotte emerged from behind the curtain with a little cart, began to stroll down the aisle and Isabella immediately abandoned her book.

“Here we are again,” Charlotte chuckled as she rolled the cart up next to Isabella’s seat and mirrored the situation from a little more than a week ago. She laid her arm on top of it and smiled down at her.

“Yes,” Isabella cleared her throat and tried to grasp for a conversation that could distract her from her desire to reach out and drag Charlotte into her seat, ”How was the rest of your night? Erm - on New Year’s Eve I mean.”

“Oh, it was very uneventful,” Charlotte puffed her lips and tapped the top of a bottle, “Nothing compared to what had happened earlier that evening.”

A little laugh escaped Isabella and she quickly crossed her legs, “Ah – well,” she felt hot and restless, and Charlotte’s words had done nothing to help dull the desire that she had no idea how to handle, “I was certainly very sad to leave.”

Charlotte was staring down at her crossed legs with a face that looked just as flushed as Isabella felt her own to be, and since Isabella felt herself unable to talk _\- or think -_ about anything else than what had happened between them, she just quickly resolved to politely asking, “Could I have a glass of water please?”

“Um – “, Charlotte mumbled and took a glass out, “Yes – I - of course.”

She fumbled with the bottle for a little while and then dropped the cap on the floor. Isabella quickly leaned down in her seat to retrieve it, but when her hand found it, another pair of fingers fell around hers. Charlotte had also moved to get the it, and now, as Isabella turned her head, she found that she was so close to Charlotte, that in order to catch her lips, she would only have to lean in a little. Charlotte was looking at her with her mouth slightly open and her eyes looked nowhere else than down to Isabella’s lips.

“Charlotte,” somebody said in a soft voice above them, and Charlotte carefully took the cap from Isabella’s hand and stood back up.

“When you’ve finished here, could you then please go and check the deck for me?”

Isabella leaned back up in her seat and saw another flight attendant in front of the cart; she looked sharp but not unfriendly.

“Yes, of course, let me just – “, Charlotte started, but the other woman smiled and waved her hand, “Oh no, it’s fine, I’ll take over from here.”

Charlotte put the water bottle and glass down, glanced at Isabella and as she turned to leave, said, “She takes lemon in her water.”

The other woman walked around the cart, politely served Isabella her water with lemon, and as Isabella took a sip and glanced up at her, she saw her look after Charlotte with a strange glint in her eye.

* * *

_ **Charlotte** _

When her break finally arrived, Charlotte let herself dump into a jump seat with a sigh and a cup of nuts in her hands. Normally she could count on her laid-back attitude when she worked, but on this flight, it had failed her. _Badly._

Because everytime she would pass by Isabella, catch her eye, serve her or even worse _talk to her, _Charlotte's composure instantly left her - and who could blame her? Isabella looked, if possible, even lovelier than the last time she had seen her.

She was wearing dark and comfortable clothes that looked smooth and soft. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and in it, was a pair of dark rimmed glasses that she would push up and down depending on whether she was reading, looking at her screen or - at Charlotte. The contrast to her made up appearance on New Year’s Eve, was that instead of looking exquisite and elegant, Isabella now looked sweet and adorable. And Charlotte found her to be irresistible. The fact that she had been kissing Isabella not two days ago, also didn’t help, but she should not – _not - _be thinking about that now.

And even though she tried, Charlotte couldn’t stop her mind from falling back into those very comfortable memories that would lead her to very blatantly flirt with Isabella who would then fidget and blush - and instead of playing it cool like she normally did when she flirted with anyone, Charlotte would find herself blushing right back at her and stumble over her words.

She shoved a handful of nuts into her mouth, chewed and peeked out through the curtain. She was sure Emily was suspecting something; there hadn’t been any reason for sending her to check the deck earlier and she very much thought it had something to do with her unusual nervousness around a certain someone sitting in 2F.

Quick footsteps approached and the curtain was swiftly drawn back as Emily walked in and Charlotte drew her hand back.

“If you aren’t careful with your leering,” Emily snickered and walked over to a monitor, “your eyes might fall out.”

“What leering?” Charlotte said with a mouthful of nuts.

“Really?" Emily stopped scrolling through a list on the screen and looked at her, "You may think you’re being discreet, but fortunately I have eyes in my head.”

Charlotte set the nuts down and snorted as Emily came over to take the seat next to her, “And what I’m seeing -” she said and waved a finger up and down at Charlotte, “- is a crush.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Charlotte said and let out a laugh that sounded more forced than she had intended it to.

“Oh, is it? As ridiculous as you dropping things and stumbling around her seat?"

“I don’t know what you’re talking about - I barely even know her.”

“Aha!” Emily exclaimed and smacked her hands on her knees in triumph, “So you _do _know who I’m talking about!”

“I – um, no I was just,” Charlotte stammered and tried to look anywhere else than at Emily.

“Yes, well,” Emily briskly stood up with a satisfied look on her face, "it’s finally cooled down out there, so you can take a breather and collect yourself - I’m going to go over the checklists in coach together with Fredo - it might take a while, so you can prepare next serving and for god’s sake –“, she said and rolled her eyes at Charlotte, “_try to act normal.”_

With a quick nod, she pulled back the curtain and left. Leaving Charlotte huffing and feeling annoyed. She got up and walked over to find the trays for the second hot meal.

_A crush - _she thought – _Ha! -_ she hadn’t had a crush in ages, in fact, she couldn’t even remember if she had ever had one, and she certainly _did not_ have one now.

She pulled a tray out a little too harshly and it clattered to the floor. Sighing, defeated, she squatted down to get it and heard the curtain be pulled and drawn behind her again.

“Sorry it just fell out of my hands,” she began and turned to face, what she was sure would be another teasing joke from Emily - but instead she looked right up at Isabella.

“Oh,” Charlotte whispered and slowly stood up, “Hi.”

Isabella was standing with her back to the curtain looking flustered. She was wringing her hands, and Charlotte thought she looked like a person without a plan. Like someone who had just jumped into very deep water and forgotten they couldn’t swim. With furrowed brows and an unsteady breath, Isabella took a step closer and bit her lips.

“Charlotte – I,” she stammered and nervously cast her eyes around the little space they were standing in, “I just...”

She let out a shuddering breath, looked down to her fidgeting hands and shook her head. Like a drowning person, struggling to find words that would allow her to stay afloat, Isabella looked back up at Charlotte with searching eyes. Charlotte waited, but when no words came to Isabella, she reached out and took her hand to hold it reassuringly, but instead of just holding it to sooth, it betrayed her, and pulled Isabella in, who, it seemed, didn’t need much help to learn how to swim - and Charlotte’s mind immediately went into the gear it had been planning to shift into the entire time.

It was as if the time that had passed since she had last kissed Isabella, had been nothing more than a mockery and a waste, until it could yet again resume with the crucial task that was kissing her. Charlotte moved her hand to gently cup her jaw and reveled in the feeling. Isabella’s lips were so soft and damp and when she pulled her even closer, Charlotte felt herself be pushed backwards before she collided with the cabinets behind her. The little embers that had laid in waiting inside her flared up, and when Isabella let out a soft moan as their kiss deepened and their tongues found each other, they inflamed her.

She burned underneath Isabella's soft and tender touches and just_ couldn’t get enough_ \- she had to kiss Isabella _everywhere. _When Charlotte peppered little kisses down Isabella's throat and she whimpered and scratched at her sides, Charlotte gave up, took her hand and pulled her towards the little door that was just outside the curtain.

“Charlotte – what -” Isabella breathed, but Charlotte just peaked outside to the cabin, and to her satisfaction saw, that all the first-class passengers were either asleep or watching something on their screens. She quickly opened the door to the restroom, so it would shield anyone from seeing who entered through it, pulled Isabella inside and locked the door behind them.

When the lock clicked, the understanding of what she had just done, hit her; she had just pulled Isabella into a tiny lavatory with the idea of having some cliché make out session.

_Lady Isabella Fitzwilliam._

Who was now standing in front of her with a heaving chest and parted puffy lips. Suddenly, Charlotte wasn’t so sure of what to do, but before she could think of a good way to politely ask if she could please kiss Isabella again, the woman leaning against the door let out a breath, took her by the waist and pulled her in for another kiss, and any thought that Charlotte had had about being tactful, went out the window. She pushed Isabella against the door and let herself be completely swept away. Isabella’s touches were gentle and careful, but as they kissed, Charlotte would sometimes feel her hands run over her uniform in a way that spoke of a yearning for _more, _and it made Charlotte feel dizzy with desire.

She tilted her head and pressed burning and sucking kisses to Isabella’s throat again and was rewarded with a small, “Ah,” when Isabella gasped, squeezed her ribs and Charlotte thought that if she could, she would kiss her forever - if it would be in this crammed and badly lit toilet 35,000 feet above ground for all of eternity, then she would gladly do it. And who cared about her job, she thought, as she let her leg slide in between Isabella’s and felt her tremble, kissing Isabella was more important – touching her was more important.

“Charlotte –“, Isabella breathed while Charlotte continued her kisses up to her jaw, “Charlotte - Wait,” she took Charlotte's face in her hands and drew her back a little, “I - Not here – I can’t“, she breathed hotly against her mouth and somewhere in the back of her mind, Charlotte knew she was right.

She couldn’t make out in a toilet like some horny teenager with Isabella. And, though Charlotte didn’t want to admit it, Isabella somehow felt too precious for that, so she swallowed, nodded and tried not to think any more about why that was.

A blush had crept down to Isabella’s rapidly rising and falling chest, she was out of breath and strands of hair had escaped her previously perfect ponytail. If Charlotte felt like a horny teenager, Isabella certainly looked like one.

Charlotte chuckled as she ran her thumb across Isabella’s bottom lip, “I’ve gotten lipstick all over you.”

“Oh,” Isabella said and slowly turned her head to look in the mirror beside them, “Oh gosh.”

Charlotte looked too and had to stifle a laugh; they both looked like they had just come back from a weekend retreat to fuck-island. Her own cheeks were flushed in a deep crimson color, her curly hair stood out in every direction and a few buttons, that she had definitely _not_ opened herself, had come undone on her uniform.

Isabella pushed herself off the door and leaned in against the mirror to smooth down her hair, “Gosh,” she mumbled again.

“Gosh indeed,” Charlotte grinned and closed a button, “I don’t remember you opening these. Smooth.”

Isabella cast her eyes to Charlotte’s shirt in the reflection of the mirror and blushed even harder. She removed the leftover lipstick Charlotte had left on her lips and smiled, “I can be if I want to.”

Charlotte hummed, and Isabella turned back to face her, “How long are you in New York for?”

“We have a layover,” Charlotte said and tried to comb her hair with her fingers, “so – a little under a day.”

“That’s not very long.”

“No, I wish they would give us more time,” Charlotte sighed, “then I would sleep the whole day away.”

“Oh – “, Isabella looked away and waved her hand, “– then... Well never mind – “

“Never mind what?” Charlotte asked and caught one of Isabella’s hands before she could start to fidget again.

“Well, I only thought that maybe we could see each other before you left - but if you’re too tired I completely understand, it was only a spontaneous idea and I –“

“No!” Charlotte interrupted her a little too eagerly and cleared her throat, “Um – I mean, I’m not tired. I would love to see you.”

“Really?” Isabella whispered, and Charlotte reached a hand up to cup her cheek and felt a deep flutter in her stomach, “Really,” she said and kissed her.

“Charlotte!”, two quick knocks on the door drew them apart and she quickly pressed a finger to her lips.

“Are you in there?” Emily’s voice said from the other side of the door.

Hoping she sounded somewhat normal, Charlotte answered, “Yes – I’ll be out in a second.”

“Well, hurry up!”, Emily hissed, “Next round is coming up!”

When she heard the curtain to the galley be drawn and then closed again, Charlotte quickly pushed herself around Isabella, unlocked the door and looked outside.

Emily was gone.

She turned back to Isabella who was looking at her with wide eyes, “It’s alright,” Charlotte whispered, “I’m going to go out first, and then you can come out a little while after. Ok?”

Isabella send her a brave smile, nodded and Charlotte exited the lavatory.

With the most casual demeanor she could muster, she drew back the curtain and entered to see Emily push trays into the little three ovens they used to warm food.

“What the _hell_ have you been doing? What were you doing out there for so long?” she hissed with her back turned to Charlotte, “You haven’t prepared _anything!”_

“Sorry,” Charlotte hurried over to get out the drinks, “I was feeling queasy – had to use the loo.”

“Well, I think we can manage, but the next time –“, Emily said, turned around and then stopped midsentence. Charlotte was squatting down next to a cabinet and as she pulled out juice and water, Emily slowly closed an oven and clicked her tongue at her.

“Well, well, well”, she drawled, “Charlotte Wells – I’m impressed.”

“What?” Charlotte asked as she got up with arms full and what felt like a very red face. She sat down the beverages in a cart and began to arrange them with determination. Emily took a carton of juice from her, “Don’t worry about that now,” she smirked and suddenly didn't seem very interested in the food anymore, “What did you just say? You felt _queasy?_”

“Yes – it must have been something I ate.” 

“Aha...“ Emily hummed, “Funny how Lady Fitz wasn’t in her seat when you were feeling ill - do you think she was feeling _queasy _too?”

Charlotte sighed and walked over to take out the now warm trays and replace them with another round. But Emily didn’t drop it. She slowly came to stand next to her, leaned against the cabins and crossed her arms, “I _knew_ something was going on between the two of you.”

Charlotte hesitated for a short moment, “I don’t know what you’re trying to hint at but –“

“Oh come off it!” Emily laughed, “You’re like a cat in heat! I can practically feel the steam coming off you!” she threw her hands out, “Just admit you got it on with Lady Fitz in our lavatory! I won’t get mad - for God’s sake! I can’t reprimand you when you’ve just fulfilled every living person’s fantasy!”

“Keep your voice down!” Charlotte hissed, but Emily just raised her eyebrows and walked over to the curtain to look outside, “Ha!” she laughed when she turned back to Charlotte, “And here I thought you looked fucked! She looks like she’s just hit a double homerun!”

Charlotte took her arm and dragged her back to the ovens, “Nothing happened!”

But Emily just patted her arm overbearingly, “Yes, yes - whatever you say darling”, then she looked Charlotte up and down, and, in a voice, that sounded like she was enjoying herself far too much, she smirked, “Oh, by the way - you’ve skipped a button.”

* * *

_ **Isabella**_

The rest of the flight seemed to go by in a flash; as if time around her couldn’t keep up with the storm of her own feelings – as much as she tried, there was simply no way she could explain to herself _what had just happened _and _how _she had done what she had done. Isabella normally didn’t feel like a very brave person, but one touch from Charlotte had been enough to kill the doubts that so possessively guarded her.

Maybe that was also the reason why she pulled out her notebook, and quickly scribbled down her name and number.

She was staring out the window, without looking at anything at all, when Charlotte came over to serve her. With a smile she leaned over and sat the food down. As Charlotte began to tell her about roasted vegetables, potato gnocchi and spinach puree, Isabella turned in her seat, slowly took one of Charlotte’s hands and passed her the little folded note she had written.

“And that’s followed by – “, Charlotte paused as Isabella slipped her hand out of hers again, leaving the note there.

“Um,” Charlotte glanced down to her hand, “that’s followed by a –“

Isabella leaned back in her seat and felt a dopey grin spread on her face, “Yes?”

“A – um,” Charlotte straightened up again and folded her hands in front of her, “That’s followed by a panna cotta with toasted coconut.”

Feeling satisfied, Isabella sighed, “That sounds delicious.”

When they landed, she got her things and walked to the exit doors where Charlotte and her colleague were once again bidding people farewell.

Charlotte was smiling when Isabella reached them, and for a moment, she thought about how lovely it would be if she could kiss her goodbye, but then the woman next to Charlotte looked at Isabella and said, “Thank you so much for flying with us! I do hope you had a comfortable flight”, she then looked over at Charlotte and with a toothy grin said, “I know we did!”

Isabella left them standing in the door, and, when she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw Charlotte poke her colleague with an elbow.

John was waiting outside the terminal with a big smile. It was raining hard, and she met him halfway to the car as he ran over to shield her from the heavy droplets with an umbrella. She didn’t always use a chauffeur when she was home; there wasn’t really any reason for it – far less people knew her here, and she could easily take a cab or drive herself around, but John always insisted to drive and pick her up whenever she flew.

He was a tall broad man, with a warm face and a very popular driver in New York. He drove for a few select families, and whenever John was around, Isabella felt safe and secure. He was also much more laid back than Fred, and even though Isabella cherished her London driver, she also welcomed John’s informal attitude with open arms.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes”, he said as he threw his arm over her shoulders and walked her back to the car.

When they drove away from the airport, John put on the radio and asked, “What’s up with the smiling back there?”

A soft melody flowed into the car and Isabella looked happily out her window to the cars that passed them in the rain, “Oh, I’m just happy to be home.”

“Well you certainly brought some of the London weather back with you,” he laughed and started humming.

The cold streets were deserted, and the ride home was warm and comfortable. John pulled up in front of her town house and helped her get inside with her suitcase. They said goodbye at the door and as he drove away, Isabella looked out into rain and let out a sigh. Finally - she was home.

A little later, as she was getting ready for bed, her phone beeped next to the bathroom sink. Closing the lid of her moisturizer, she set it down and slowly took the phone off the marble counter to unlock it. There was a message from a number she didn’t recognize and with a quivering heart she opened it:

_‘Hello! I’ve only just arrived at our hotel. The weather is even worse here than back home - who would’ve thought!’_

Isabella blinked down at the display, and before she could react, the phone beeped again with another message:

_‘Oh! It’s Charlotte by the way!’_

In front of the mirror Isabella closed her eyes, smiled and put the phone to her chest. This had been one of the best days she had had in a very long time.


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

**_Charlotte_ **

“Do you want to come shopping today?” Emily asked her from across the breakfast buffet at the hotel. She looked tired as she poured coffee for herself and tried to stifle a yawn.

“I can't today”, Charlotte said as they walked back with their cups and plates to a little table where Fredo was already sitting with a newspaper.

“Oh? Why not?” Emily sat her things down and took a seat, “Do you have plans?”

“Um, yes – I’m meeting a friend." 

She hoped Emily would be satisfied with her answer, but as she let herself dump into the last chair and plopped a grape in her mouth, Emily arched an eyebrow and sarcastically said, “A _friend_? Who could possibly be more important than the January sale?”

“Just a friend”, Charlotte shrugged and took a bite of toast.

Next to them Fredo folded his newspaper, “I’ll come with you Emily; I want to have someone’s opinion on a scarf I saw before Christmas.” 

“Mm-hmmm, okay”, Emily nodded without taking her eyes off Charlotte, “So this _friend _you’re meeting _–_ she couldn’t possibly be the same person you screwed on the plane last night - could she?”

Charlotte had just taken a sip of juice and when Fredo shrieked and threw his newspaper on the table, she almost choked on it.

“Charlotte!” he gasped, “You didn’t!”

“She sure did,” Emily snickered and patted Charlotte on the back, “And not just anyone Fredo -”

“Emily don’t” Charlotte coughed, but Emily just threw a napkin at her and leaned in over the table towards Fredo, “You know how Lady Fitz was on our flight yesterday?”

“Yes," Fredo started, "she was up in first with the two of you, so I -”, he paused, looked at Charlotte with wide eyes and slowly leaned back in his chair.

"No... You didn’t Char...”

“Yep, got her right under our noses,” Emily teased and looked at Charlotte with a smug smile, “didn’t you?”

“I told you! Nothing happened!”

“But you _are_ meeting her today, aren’t you?”

Sensing defeat, Charlotte threw the napkin on her plate and gave in, “Well, alright yes,” she mumbled and heard Fredo gasp, “but nothing happened in the air – so just _drop it.”_

“_Oh - My - God”_, Fredo whispered and looked at her as if she had just successfully stolen the Mona Lisa, “Are you serious?”

Charlotte put her head in her hands and groaned, “Well, we only kissed -” and mentally rolled her eyes when Emily snorted next to her, “- and then we sort of agreed to meet today before the flight. She’s picking me up in,” Charlotte glanced at her watch, “one hour.”

Fredo held his hands out in front of him, “Wait – I need to hear this from the beginning. I’ll help you get ready in a minute, just –“, he said and poured more coffee into her cup, “please tell me everything.”

A little while later, after Fredo had insisted ironing Charlotte's uniform and fixing her hair, they all stood in the lobby ready to go in their warmest clothes. But underneath Charlotte’s jacket, were her work clothes. With suitcase in hand, she asked, “Isn’t it foolish to bring this with me?” and jiggled the handle, “It’s going to look like I’m expecting her to drive me to work.”

“Exactly - that’s the plan,” Fredo smirked and plucked something invisible from her jacket, “I’m going to look for a new jacket for you today, this thing is hideous.”

Charlotte shrugged his hand off her pink down jacket, “Stop it - I like my jacket.”

“Okay, so,” Emily broke in, “we meet at the terminal at three pm,” she looked at her watch in a military fashion, “and with traffic to the airport, that gives you around - a little more than three hours with Lady Fitz. That should be plenty of time to get into her pants.”

“Okay!” Charlotte shrieked and waved her hands, “Thank you! Can you bugger off now?”

“Feeling a little jittery, are we?” Emily laughed and then pointed a finger at Charlotte, “Three pm – sharp! Don’t be late!”

“Yes, yes – just - go away!”

Fredo kissed her cheek, took Emily’s arm and walked them out the doors.

Letting out a long sigh Charlotte braced herself. Late last night, she had exchanged a few texts with Isabella who had suggested picking up her from the hotel and go somewhere. Charlotte had asked her where they would be going, but Isabella didn’t seem to be a fan of very long messages, so all Charlotte had gotten out of her, was a short text that said, _‘You’ll see.’ _

She took her suitcase and walked out of the sliding doors; it wasn’t raining any longer, but it was freezing, and the rain that had fallen yesterday had turned the sidewalk into a deathtrap. Charlotte shivered and hoped Isabella was taking her somewhere warm.

A large black car drove down the street towards the hotel, _'Here we go', _she thought - but then it drove by, leaving her feeling deflated. Charlotte checked her watch and furrowed her brows; Isabella didn't seem like the type who was late.

“Hello,” someone called, and Charlotte looked up to see a green little car that hadn’t been there before. It was parked almost directly in front of her and she hadn’t even seen it coming - perhaps it had been hiding behind the larger and more impressive car, making her miss it. She took a step to the side and bent down to look inside the window facing her; it had been rolled down, and sitting in the driver’s seat, was Isabella. She had one glowed hand on the wheel and was smiling at Charlotte.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Charlotte laughed as Isabella pulled the handbrake, opened her seatbelt and got out.

“Yes, isn’t it?”

She was in her elegant black woolen coat again, and Charlotte wished she hadn’t been so fast to brush off Fredo when he had suggested buying a new jacket for her. As Isabella came around the car and reached her, Charlotte wasn’t sure how to greet her; should she kiss her? It wasn’t like she hadn’t done that before, but _no, _she thought,_ that would be weird_, but before she could decide for anything, Isabella leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You look lovely,” she breathed as she drew back, making Charlotte’s brain short circuit.

“Oh!” Isabella looked down to the suitcase next to Charlotte, “I’m happy you brought that with you. I was going to suggest you did.”

She took it with a smile and rolled it back to the car. Effortlessly, she opened the trunk, lifted the suitcase into the space and closed it with a little ‘click’.

“Are you ready to go?” she beamed at Charlotte and dusted her gloved hands off.

If there was such a thing as being spellbound, then Charlotte felt like Isabella had just performed a massive amount of sorcery on her. She couldn’t stop the goofy smile, that settled on her face and cemented itself there.

“Yes – I’m ready.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Isabella grinned, and Charlotte was thankful that Emily couldn’t see her now - because she could vividly imagine the look on her face if she had heard her giggle, “Okey-doke.”

They got into the small car and Isabella quickly buckled her seatbelt, turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the curb.

“So, where are we going?” Charlotte asked, as Isabella turned the wheel and drove down a broad avenue.

“Oh, it’s just a place I sometimes go to when I’m in town and have the time”, she smiled at Charlotte, “It’s nothing fancy or anything, but I love it.”

“So they’ll let me in?”, Charlotte gestured to her jacket, “Even in this thing?”

Isabella laughed and drummed her fingers on the wheel, “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but notice how relaxed Isabella seemed; there was an aura of tranquility around her - as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As they drove, Isabella would point to different buildings or streets she knew, and tell Charlotte small anecdotes with an air of calmness - and it made her feel like they had all the time in the world.

The ride wasn’t very long, and soon, they were driving on a little street next to the water. It was full of cars and vans on every side, and Isabella leaned in over the wheel and said, “Here we are - now we just have to find a free spot.”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows, “This looks like a place where you could get kidnapped.”

“I know – “, Isabella chuckled, “I promise not to kidnap you though.”

Charlotte was about to say that she could kidnap her anytime she wanted to, when Isabella exclaimed, “Ah! There’s one!”

She stopped next to a parked car and put her own into reverse. Charlotte glanced behind them and saw a tiny space between two cars that were parked parallel to the sidewalk.

“Erm – do you think there’s enough space?”

Isabella put her arm around Charlotte’s seat and looked over her shoulder, “Oh, yes, yes.”

With one hand, she turned the steering wheel all the way to the right and started backing up, and before Charlotte had realized what had happened, Isabella had smoothly turned the wheel back to center, turned the car sharply left and placed them perfectly between the two other cars. She pulled the handbrake and turned the car off, “There we go,” and Charlotte mentally slapped herself, because - who knew parking a car could be sexy.

“That,” Charlotte said and cleared her throat, “was so impressive.”

They got out of the car, and when she looked back, Charlotte wondered how the hell Isabella was going to get out of that tight spot again.

“So – “, Isabella took Charlotte’s arm and pointed to a handsome historical building across the street, “welcome to my favorite food market.”

Arm in arm they walked into the building and Charlotte’s senses were immediately flooded. Inside, it was vast and airy and from above their heads, light streamed in from large windows on each side of the roof and through a huge oval window at the end of the space. It was like stepping into a cathedral made of iron, only, one that was full of voices and divine smells. There were three aisles in the hall, and on every side of them were vendors selling everything your heart could desire.

“Wow...” Charlotte breathed.

Next to her Isabella squeezed her arm, “Do you like it?”

Charlotte nodded, “It’s fantastic, I’m getting hungry just from standing here.”

“Oh goody!” Isabella beamed, “there’s_ so_ much to see and eat - come on!” she pulled her towards the left aisle and Charlotte thought that _‘goody’ _was her new favorite word.

The place was buzzing with life. From every stand people were buying and selling, and it was impossible to decide when to stop and look. Luckily, Isabella seemed to be an expert navigating the stands, and she led Charlotte from one delicious shop after the other.

There were stands with more kinds of olives than Charlotte had ever seen before, dried fruits and nuts, a whole place which only sold oils in a multitude of different green slim flasks. Great big heaps of fresh herbs that sent pleasant aromas into the air, long farmers stands overflowing with vegetables in vibrant green, red and yellow colors. There were people buying beautiful flower bouquets with smiles and laughter, a plentitude of bakeries selling golden breads and pastries, and with her arm linked to Isabella’s, Charlotte felt like she was walking on air.

When their hands were full of many little bags with different foods and sweets, they approached a shop at the end of the third aisle.

Isabella bit her lip and looked up at the warm yellow sign that hung overhead, “Oh, this is my favorite one.”

They walked up to the counter and were greeted by a little plumb woman with red hair.

“Now there’s my favorite customer!” she said and laid her arms on the counter, “It’s been too long honey – how are you?”

“Very well, thank you Tiffy,” Isabella said and as the two started chatting, Charlotte looked over the shelves behind the woman. They were full of beautiful boxes in different golden shades, and printed on each of them, was a drawing of the woman talking to Isabella. Underneath it, in swirling curly letters was written, _‘Tiffy’s Toffee’s._

A caramel stand, Charlotte thought and smiled.

“I’ll have the usual,” Isabella said and reached into her purse, but Charlotte had already found her wallet and laid it on the counter, “Oh no - it’s on me.”

Isabella chuckled, “You don’t have to do that. It’s my strange habit anyway.”

But Charlotte opened her wallet, took out a few notes and pushed them towards Tiffy, “No, no I insist –“

After some discussing on who would pay for Isabella’s caramels, and some rather strange looks from Tiffy, Isabella finally gave in and let Charlotte pay for a shiny box. They bid Tiffy goodbye and strolled toward a big wooden door. Isabella opened it, and let Charlotte out to an area with wooden tables and patio heaters overlooking a small harbor.

Though it was still lunch time, there were only a few other people seated outside, and Charlotte thought that it was probably due to the cold weather, but when she sat down underneath a lamp next to Isabella, she felt warm and comfortable.

“I don’t know where to start,” she chuckled and looked at all their bags on the table. Isabella grinned, took out their items, and soon, the table was filled with treats of every kind in a neat and ordered fashion. And with a feeling of being luckier than she was allowed to be, Charlotte engulfed herself in the deliciousness before her.

“This one is divine!”, she gushed when they had worked their way through most of their savory hoard, and moved on to the small desserts Isabella had demanded to buy from a bakery. Charlotte took another bite of a crème puff and said, “You have to taste it.”

She prepared a bite for Isabella and held out her fork with a perfect bite of pastry and vanilla crème. But like the fool she was, she had not been prepared for what she had just exposed herself to.

Because now, Isabella leaned in, put her pink lips around the fork, and with eyes closed, she slowly ate the bite, leaned back and let out a humming sound, while Charlotte sat paralyzed with an empty fork hanging in the air.

“Oh, that’s heavenly,” Isabella smiled at Charlotte, who swallowed thickly and put the fork back down.

Isabella slowly licked her lips, and Charlotte thought, that if she was going to avoid throwing herself at the woman who was now smacking her lips next to her, she had to find an exit. _Fast._

“Do you like hot chocolate?” she blurted out and cleared her throat.

“Um, sure I -”

“Great!” Charlotte nodded and stood up, “I’ll go get us some.”

Not long after, she returned with two steaming cups of hot chocolate and what felt like a clearer head.

“Look what I found!” Isabella said happily and held out a blanket towards Charlotte, who sat the cups down, “I could only find one, but I think we’ll fit”, and Charlotte had no choice, but to scoot in next to her, so Isabella could throw the blanket over both of them.

“So,” Charlotte said and tried to think of anything else, than Isabella's warm side pressed against her, “when are you going back home again?”

“Home?” Isabella asked and blew on her chocolate.

“Yes, to London.”

“Oh, in just under two weeks.”

“Are you going to be busy over here?”

Isabella nodded slowly, “Yes, I think so. It’s mostly meetings every day. I wish I could stay longer though. London is home, but New York feels more comfortable. So, I go as often as I can.”

“It’s lovely over here,” Charlotte smiled and took a sip of the warm liquid in her cup, “I imagine it’s also less public?”

“Yes, I admit that’s also part of the reason why I like it here,” Isabella admitted, “London sometimes feels like one big façade,” she bumped Charlotte’s shoulder and added, “and I’m not always lucky enough to find someone who can sneak me past the press.”

Charlotte hummed, “It must be straining being followed around all the time - especially when everyone knows where you live in London.”

Isabella arched an eyebrow at her, “Where do you think I live in London?”

“Erm,” Charlotte mumbled, “I mean – I don’t know – but – I just assumed that the press would know and – “

“Do you think I live at the palace?” Isabella laughed, “Well, I’m part of the family, but I’m not _that royal_. And besides,” she shrugged, “I wouldn’t want to live there even if they payed me to.”

“Why not? Great location, spacious rooms, beautiful gowns – cheap rent?” Charlotte joked and wriggled her eyebrows at Isabella who snorted.

“That place is a museum - I know I’m old, but I don’t think I’m ripe for exhibition yet.”

Charlotte giggled, “Stop it,” she leaned closer into Isabella's side and whispered, “you’re not old - you’re just gorgeous”, making herself and Isabella blush.

Sensing that the topic of London, was one that carried more weight than she had expected it to, Charlotte changed the subject, “Where do you live when you’re in New York then? I promise not to tell the press.”

“Oh, I think they know where it is – thankfully I alone am not interesting enough to send paparazzi’s overseas for.”

Isabella took a sip of chocolate and looked out at the water in front of them. A small fishing boat was on its way into the harbor and it was followed by a swarm of seagulls. She put her mug down on the table and warmed her hands on it, “My father owned some land and estates in New York, and when he went to inspect them or sign anything, I always went with him. As he got older, I sort of took over and went more and more alone. And when he passed away, he left me the townhouse we normally stayed in when we visited and – “, she sighed and looked at Charlotte, “it was the best gift he could have ever given me. Not the house in itself - just the possibility to get away.”

Isabella looked so peaceful and happy in the soft light - her cheeks had turned rosy from the cold, and Charlotte noticed that she had gotten a little whipped cream on her nose.

“You’ve gotten a little...” Charlotte mumbled and reached a hand up to cup Isabella’s cheek. Slowly, she brushed off the cream with her thumb - but instead of removing her hand, she let it stay on Isabella’s cold cheek. And when Isabella leaned slightly into her touch and let out a small puff of air, Charlotte decided that if Isabella wasn’t going to take advantage of this moment, then she certainly would.

So, she leaned in, paused for a moment when her face was only a few inches away from Isabella’s, and placed a soft kiss on her lips. They tasted sweet, and as she kissed her, she smiled against her warm lips.

“All gone”, Charlotte whispered as she slowly pulled back again.

“How is it,” Isabella breathed and fluttered her eyes open, “that you always smell so nice?”

“It’s your own fault – it’s that perfume you gave me.”

“Hmm,” Isabella hummed, “I’m pretty sure it’s just you.”

With warm cheeks, Charlotte turned her attention back to the hot chocolate, and when she felt Isabella’s warm hand find her own in her lap, she thought that this was probably the most romantic moment she had ever experienced.

They stayed like that, talking and enjoying each other’s company, until Isabella squeezed her hand and said it was time to go. Time had flown by, and when she looked down at her watch to check the time, she couldn’t believe that they had sat there for so long.

On the way back to the car, she took Isabella’s hand again, “I’m excited to see how you’re going to get out of there,” and pointed to the little car still pressed in between the two others.

“Do you have so little faith in me?” Isabella teased, took out her car keys and with a press of a button unlocked the car. They got in, and with the key in the ignition and the turn signal on, Isabella casually mirrored her skills from earlier; it only took a swift turn to the left, a little backing and they were out.

“See?” she said and grinned at Charlotte as they drove down the street, “As easy as falling off a log.”

The sun was starting to set over the ocean, and it cast a warm light inside the car. Isabella turned on the radio and laid her hand on the gearshift. Charlotte shifted in her seat and turned to look at her as she drove.

“What are you looking at?” Isabella smiled, and in the soft light, Charlotte could see that she was blushing. She took Isabella's hand off the gearshift and said, “You.”

When they reached a red light, Isabella turned her head and send Charlotte a lazy smile, “Are you excited for work?”

Charlotte groaned, “Oh nooo, can we please pretend I’m not working?”

“Alright then - if you're not working, then where are we going?”

Charlotte bit the side of her lip, “What about your place?” she whispered.

“Um – well,” Isabella stammered, and Charlotte stroked her thumb over the back of her hand, “my place is a little out of the way – I will, erm – “

A car honked behind them making Isabella jump; the light had changed to green and Charlotte grinned as they drove on. She held Isabella's hand the entire way to the airport.

When they arrived, Isabella let go of her hand and pulled into a drop-off lane to stop the car. She turned in her seat to look at Charlotte and suddenly, she looked very shy.

“I had a lovely time today”, she said with a smile that looked controlled.

“So did I”, Charlotte wrinkled her brows and tried to search Isabella’s eyes. Without the motor running and the radio turned off, the car was silent and a heavy sense of something waiting to be said was laying in the air. Charlotte wanted to do nothing else than to draw Isabella into a kiss and bring back the light feeling they had been surrounded by the entire day, but instead, she felt a tight feeling grip her and so she carefully said, “I would like to see you again.”

Isabella swallowed and started to wring her hands in her lap, “Perhaps – when I’m back in London,” she said and looked down, “- we could have dinner? If you want to?”

“I would love to”, Charlotte sighed and reached out to take Isabella’s hand again. And when she took it, Isabella looked back up at her. Her eyes were cloudy and impossible to read. The windows in the little car had started to fog from the cold outside, and the only thing Charlotte could hear was her own beating heart and Isabella’s breathing. Her hand in hers would have been enough, but the clouds that were blurring Isabella’s eyes, then lifted as she took a breath and brought a hand up to Charlotte’s cheek. Isabella leaned forward in her seat and when her lips met Charlotte’s in a soft kiss, Charlotte felt the world around her drown into nothingness. In it, was only her and Isabella - her heart was no longer racing, instead, it leapt and when Isabella drew back and Charlotte looked into her eyes, she felt something shift inside of her.

The sound of raindrops falling on the roof of the car, filled the little space, and with Isabella’s face so close to hers, Charlotte wished she could stay like that forever.

“I’ll see you two weeks then?” Charlotte asked Isabella quietly.

“Yes,” she said and stroked her cheek, “Would it be alright if I wrote you before then?”

Charlotte felt relieved and smiled, “Of course.” 

When she walked into the terminal a little while later, the memories of the day swirled through her foggy mind, occupying every thought, in determined attempts to never be forgotten. And when she saw Emily and Fredo on an escalator waving large shopping bags at her, she smiled from ear to ear, and couldn’t wait to tell them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update - life got in the way.

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

The next days were filled with grey weather and many meetings. Ned had arrived the day after Charlotte had left, and he had immediately set Isabella’s schedule into motion. The time in New York was short, and the meetings concerning the trust fund, were squeezed in between luncheons and other compulsory things she was expected to attend. Ned had organized everything by the hour, and even though much of the planning could have been done from London, the property inspections, meetings with lawyers and possible benefactor institutions, was something Isabella preferred to do in person.

Reading through paperwork on assets and the distribution of them, was on the agenda from early morning. From when she walked out the door and into the waiting car outside, Isabella had a folder filled with too many papers in her hands. John was driving her and Ned around town, and though the days were long, she still felt refreshed and full of energy. For the first time, she was doing something without interference from her family, and more importantly, without her brother watching her every move.

New York in January was cold, and every day, she was thankful for the warm car waiting outside her door.

From the backseat, Isabella could easily get herself up to date before she stepped into meetings. But apart from concentrating on paragraphs and regulations, she also took the opportunity to reply to the messages she would receive from Charlotte during the day. Already, she had gotten used to a sweet morning greeting waiting for her when she woke up - but this morning, it hadn’t arrived. Isabella knew that Charlotte had been on a flight to Colorado last night, so she was probably still in the air.

Today, her and Ned were out the door earlier than usual - the sun was not yet up, and as she walked through the door, she was met by wind and a cold drizzly of rain.

“Good morning John.” she said with a shiver as she went into the car, “How are you today?”

John was in his usual uniform, but had added a warm scarf around his neck, “Very well, thank you. I brought hot chocolate for all of us”, he said with a smile and showed Isabella a thermo can. Ned got into the car and joined Isabella in the back seat.

“Ooh! Something smells nice!”

John passed them two little plastic mugs and filled them with a dark hazelnut liquid. Isabella took a sip and closed her eyes – for a moment, she was brought back to the harbor with Charlotte.

“Oh, it’s delicious John”, she sighed and forced the image of Charlotte kissing her away from her mind.

“I threw in some extra spices.” John chuckled as he poured a cup for himself, “So – is it law offices again today?”

Isabella nodded, “Yes, but today should be the last time”, and felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her long overcoat. She reached for it with her free hand, and smiled when she saw a message from Charlotte:

_‘Morning! We’ve just arrived in Denver and I am already being withheld in staff security – I haven’t even had my coffee yet! Help! C.’_

Isabella hummed, and glanced up at Ned who was checking something in the appointments for the week. She put the cup of chocolate in her cupholder, and opened the message to respond:

_‘Hello! I hope you haven’t tried to smuggle anything in? If you do get into trouble, then I’m just on my way to speak with some very serious counselors, so don’t worry too much – I can get you out of prison.’_

“Isabella?” Ned asked and interrupted her typing.

“Oh – yes, sorry I was just -” she mumbled and pressed send, “what did you say?”

“I only asked if you would like me to sit in with you today?”

He eyed the phone in her hands with a smirk, “And I would also _love _to know who you are writing all the time?”

Isabella quickly slipped the phone back into her pocket, “Oh - no one.”

John started the car and pulled away from the curb. As he drove down the street, he smiled in the rear-view mirror, “No one?” he said and turned on the windscreen wipers to battle the rain outside, “Every time you check your phone, you get a goofy look on your face.”

“Goofy?” Isabella lifted her hands to her cheeks, but couldn't stop the smile that was spreading there, “I don’t think I can look _goofy.”_

“You look very goofy to me right now.”

She looked between the two men who were now both smirking at her from their seats.

“It’s just a very lovely day alright?” she protested and waved her hands in the air, but couldn’t help but join in the laughter when John sarcastically said, “Oh, yes it’s very nice out today”, and turned up the speed of the wipers. Outside the car, it was pouring rain and inside were three people laughing at a woman with very red cheeks.

After John dropped them off at a tall steel building, Isabella and Ned soon found themselves in a long room with large windows. They were meeting two of the best lawyers she had been able to afford, and the meeting this morning was an important one.

Before she had decided to make the trust fund, Isabella had also made the decision to keep Harcourt completely in the dark about it. So far, he thought she was in New York to meet some of their father’s old business partners and sign a few symbolic documents. These small things weren’t something he concerned himself with, and Isabella suspected that he thought it was funny to send her to deal with such insignificant matters.

Aside from actually meeting her father’s old friends for lunch, talk about the good old days and signing papers, Isabella was also, in secret, securing some of her father’s interest for the fund, and the final steps before Harcourt would inevitably find out, were quickly approaching. And when he did, she wanted to be ready.

The meeting was mostly reformulating rules to eliminate any loopholes Harcourts lawyers could look for and exploit. It was going to be a long day, and when coffee was brought in and the two lawyers prepared to dive into the massive stacks of papers on the table, Isabella’s phone buzzed again. She quickly threw a quick glance at one of the lawyers sitting in front of her, and reached for the phone. Discretely, she checked the display; it was another message from Charlotte:

_‘I really hope you have good people, because airport security just stole my Kinder Eggs! I cannot believe it!’_

Before she could stop herself, a very audible laugh escaped her lips, and one of the lawyers, an old man with a kind face, looked at her over his slim glasses.

“Sorry”, she said, and set her phone to silent with wide eyes. Beside her, Ned raised his eyebrows and grinned.

The meeting dragged into the late afternoon and when the sun had begun to dip behind the tall buildings outside, Isabella added her signature to the last page of many, and didn’t think she could hear another number or see one more graph for the rest of her life. With handshakes and reassurances that the fund was airtight, her and Ned walked out and into an elevator.

“I am _exhausted_,” she sighed and leaned her head back against the wall as the doors closed.

Next to her, Ned let out a long breath, “Well, at least now we know what lawyers have for dinner - I’ve never had so much coffee in my life.”

The doors dinged and opened to the ground floor, and when they walked out, Ned took out his phone, quickly pressed some buttons and held it to his ear.

“John?” he said, as they strode towards the exit, “Yes, we’re on our way out now.” he threw a look at Isabella who was yawning, and then in a low voice, added, “And we’re going to need to stop at the usual place on the way home.”

The usual place was a downtown Italian spot that was famous for their pasta dishes, and Isabella wasn’t embarrassed to admit that her diet for the past week had been coming out of their kitchens.

John placed one of their usual orders, and while they waited in the car for the food to be ready, Isabella took the opportunity to text Charlotte and find out if she was still being detained for trying to smuggle German chocolate into the states.

Not long after, she received a reply that made her giggle:

_‘No, they let me go, but I think I’m registered as a candy-offender now. I hope that’s alright with you?’ _

John brought two bags of food into the car and it was immediately filled with aromas of warm delicious herbs. Outside, it was still raining, and as they drove home, Isabella replied with a flutter in her stomach:

_‘You’re always alright with me.’_

When they arrived at the townhouse, they said goodnight to John who drove away with a tired smile and his own bag of food.

“Oh, I’ve been fantasizing about this all day”, Isabella gushed and unpacked the food on a little table in the kitchen. The house was old, and the kitchen small, but it was warm and the most comfortable room in the house. When her father had lived, this had been their favorite place to eat and talk after a long day.

Her and Ned sat down, and Ned started pouring food onto their plates while Isabella sat with fork and knife ready in her hands, almost unable to contain herself. She was _beyond _hungry. But just when Ned was about to pass her the parmesan, her phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.

“Ooh!” she exclaimed, laid down her cutlery and immediately got up to get it.

When she came back and sat down with eyes still peeled to the screen, Ned said, “I’m sorry, but I have to know - _who _are you texting _all_ the time?”

Isabella almost didn’t hear him; Charlotte had sent a picture of herself eating some sad looking french-fries. Isabella giggled, Charlotte looked so _cute._

She swiveled some pasta onto her fork and took a picture of herself holding it with an open mouth. Before pressing send, she checked it and decided she looked pretty enough for Charlotte to see.

Feeling happy and content, she laid down the phone next to her plate and took the bite of pasta in her mouth. The food felt more than welcome, and while she enjoyed the taste, she noticed the silence that suddenly filled the kitchen. She looked up and saw Ned watching her with a thoughtful face.

“I’m sorry – ", Isabella said and swallowed her bite, "did you say something?”

Ned raised his eyebrows at her, “Have you met someone?”

Isabella had been about to take another bite of deliciously looking pasta into her mouth, but the question made her pause.

“Um – “, she began and let the fork hang in the air.

“Have you?”

She pursed her lips and with a shrug said, “Maybe. “

“I knew it!”

“But you cannot tell anyone!”, Isabella said and pointed her fork at him.

Ned dramatically pressed a hand to his chest, “I promise! _Not a word._”

Isabella bit her lip. After a whole day of rebelling against her brother and family, she decided that if she dared to confide in Ned, she would only feel more joy. So, she let out a breath full of relief and told him everything.

“When will you see her again?” Ned asked a little later when she had finished the story of meeting Charlotte.

He was a good listener. He laughed at all the right times, gasped, gushed and awed and while she talked, she felt a weight be lifted off of her shoulders. In the little kitchen, she leaned back into her chair and felt peaceful.

“We haven’t decided for a day yet..." she said. "We only agreed to meet once I’m back in London.”

Meeting Charlotte in London would be different. It wasn’t as easy as meeting in New York; here, people didn’t really know who she was, and there wasn’t any Harcourt.

“I invited her out for dinner”, Isabella mumbled and frowned, “but I don’t know where to take her.”

Ned reached across the table and laid his hand over hers, “Don’t worry - I have the perfect idea.”

* * *

_ **Charlotte** _

She didn’t think her schedule had ever been so relaxed. Her shifts were organized and spread out in such a way that everything went seamlessly into another. Charlotte hadn’t had to work overtime even once. There had been a few long flights, and only a handful had required layovers. They had all been comfortable – though, none of them quite as lovely as the one she had, had in New York - where she had met Isabella.

_Isabella._

Charlotte didn’t want to admit it, but not one day had passed where she hadn’t thought about her. And it made the time until she would see her again, feel both slow and fast at the same time.

Fast, because whenever she had a free moment, a memory would push its way into her mind and occupy it, until someone shook her back into reality. Fast, from the flutter in her stomach when she received a message from Isabella – the happiness she felt when she unlocked her phone with glee - like a child unwrapping a candy bar.

When time felt slow, she didn’t want to think about _why _that was_,_ because whenever it did, it was always when she was waiting to hear from Isabella.

She was lying on the couch on a lazy Sunday morning, scrolling through her and Isabella’s messages, when Lucy walked into the living room with a pot of tea.

“Haven’t heard from her yet, have you?”, she asked, and Charlotte quickly locked her phone and threw it away into the sofa.

“Pardon?” she casually pushed herself up, and Lucy sat the tea and two cups down on the coffee table with raised eyebrows.

“Stop it,” she smiled and poured tea for them, “you look like you’ve seen all the sad movies ever made.”

Charlotte huffed and brought a pillow to her chest, “I don’t look sad. And it’s still nighttime over there – she’s sleeping.”

Lucy pushed a full cup across the table, and sat down in a soft armchair with a mug in her hands.

“I didn’t think it would be possible," she said, "but I actually think I’m looking more forward to Lady Fitz’s return than you are.” she sighed and took a sip of her tea, “So I won’t have to listen to what time it is in New York, and whether it’s too early or late to write her.”

Charlotte snorted, “I don’t talk that much about it.”

“Riight – “, Lucy crossed her legs and rested the cup on them, “have she said anything about that dinner she wanted to take you to?”

Charlotte wrinkled her nose, “No... And she’s back in two days – do you think I should write and ask her?”

“Charlotte - ", Lucy sighed and closed her eyes, "I thought you asked her last week? Did you get cold feet?”

“Erm, it was late, and I didn’t want to seem – “

“Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“Give me your phone right now.”

Lucy stood up with a determined look on her face, and when Charlotte had set her tea down, Lucy reached out, patted down Charlotte’s pockets and lifted the pillows around her on the sofa.

“Hey – no, wait Luce – “

A small struggle broke out as Charlotte frantically joined Lucy in trying to retrieve the phone she had thrown into the pillows only a moment before.

“Where is it – ungh – stop it – “, Lucy groaned, and pried Charlotte’s arms off her.

“Lucy, no – it’s not here – just – stop it - “

“Aha!”, Lucy pulled the phone out from between two cushions in triumph and Charlotte quickly moved to go after her, but she was stopped when Lucy turned and pointed a finger at her.

“Relax - I’m not going to send anything, so don’t worry. I just want to _formulate _a message, that you can then _maybe _send,” she said with a sugary voice and sat down again, “so you can give yourself, and _everyone_ around you, aka _me,_ peace.”

“You won’t send anything?”

“No.”

Charlotte dumped back down into the sofa and looked on as Lucy quickly typed something on her phone before she handed it back to her.

“There. Send that.”

The message was short and simple:

_’Good morning! Looking forward to seeing you when you’re back. Are we still on for dinner? C.’_

Lucy had added a sappy kissing face at the end, and Charlotte quickly deleted it before she hovered her finger over the send button.

“Oh my god. _Just. Do. It.”, _Lucy groaned from her seat, and Charlotte sighed before she pressed the button and threw her phone back into the pillows.

It didn’t take more than a few hours before she got her reply from Isabella.

Her and Lucy were still in the living room watching TV like two drugged bees when her phone started to ring.

“It’s probably Ma asking if we want to come over early tonight.” Lucy mumbled without moving her eyes from the screen.

“Why she doesn’t just come over is beyond me,” Charlotte said and lazily stretched an arm out to grab her phone, “Heck, if she yelled loud enough, I could answer her through the wall.”

Lucy laughed, “A hundred quid says she’s still in bed with Pa doing the nasty.”

“That’s disgusting.” Charlotte groaned as she continued rummaging for the ringing phone. When she finally found it and moved to answer the call, she stopped when she saw who was trying to reach her.

“Oh my god... She’s calling me...”

“Who?” Lucy twisted in her chair and looked at Charlotte with a mouth full of biscuits.

Charlotte turned her phone around and showed her sister the display.

“Isabella!”, she said, took the phone back and looked down at it in panic, “What do I do?”

“Well answer it of course!”

“Yes, okay – I’ll, let me just – “

“Do it before she hangs up!” Lucy yelled and Charlotte cleared her throat before she answered.

“Hello?” 

From the other end of the phone, wind was in the microphone as Isabella’s voice said, _“Charlotte? Good morning! Or good afternoon is maybe more fitting for you.”_

“Hi –“, Charlotte began, and heard something rustle on Isabella’s end.

_“Sorry, I was just stepping into the car."_ Isabella sighed, _“The weather is awful over here – how is it with you?”_

“Oh, it’s – “

_“Sorry, hang on a minute,” _Isabella interrupted, and Charlotte heard a male voice say something unintelligible in the background, _“Yes, that’s fine - thank you John. Sorry about that. I’m just on my way out and thought it would be easier to just call you, since my day today is a little crammed.”_

“Are you busy on a Sunday?” Charlotte smiled and brought her legs up in the sofa.

On the other end of the phone, Isabella chuckled, _“Yes, I’m terrible – it really isn’t fair of me to go out and meet people today,”_ and Charlotte heard the male voice say something again.

Isabella laughed_, “John - my driver – he’s teasing me.”_

Charlotte played with the edge of a pillow and felt the smile on her face grow even wider. She had almost forgotten how soft and breathy Isabella’s voice was.

_“So, about dinner –,”_ Isabella mused,_ “I’m back on Tuesday and have a few things to settle when I land, but would you have time on... Say, maybe Wednesday evening?”_

“Erm – “, Charlotte was pretty sure she was working Wednesday; racking her brain she could already see her name next to two flights filling up her entire day. And she was pretty damn sure it was those nice ones to Bologna she had been fighting to get into her schedule.

She would be home _late _on Wednesday.

_“I know it’s last minute, and if you don’t have time I can – “, _Isabella said and broke Charlotte’s stream of thought.

_“_No, no!” Charlotte said, and looked up at Lucy who had muted the TV and turned all the way around in her chair. She was watching Charlotte like she was her new favorite show.

“It should be fine,” Charlotte mumbled, “just - hold on a minute, let me check.”

She pressed the phone to her chest and whispered, “Luce, you have a chance to do some good today – can you _please _take my shifts this Wednesday?”

Lucy’s eyes got wide, “What? I can’t take them! You’re in first class!”

“It’s just two small flights – there’s only business seats – you took the training, right? It’s perfect actually!”

Lucy didn’t say anything; instead, she looked at Charlotte like she had just fallen from the moon and landed in the middle of their living room.

“_Please Luce!” _Charlotte whined as quietly as she could. She knew she was pathetic, and that Lucy would tell everyone about it, but if she had the choice of a night in her uniform or one together with Isabella, the choice was pretty obvious.

Sending her a quizzical look, Lucy grabbed her own phone and quickly checked the display. Charlotte knew she was scrolling through their work schedule, and when she looked back up at Charlotte, she had a small frown on her face.

“I have the early flights to Palma on Wednesday... And oh – “, she glanced at Charlotte with a skeptical expression, “your shifts are those dreamy ones you fought to get...”

“We can swap!” Charlotte whispered energetically and was already dreading it. She would be spending her day surrounded by screaming children and tired parents.

“But I’m in coach...And it’s the holiday horror flights. Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

They stared at each other until Lucy finally nodded. Charlotte let out a breath and when she brought the phone back to her ear, she heard Isabella’s muffled voice on the other end of the line - she was whispering with someone too.

_“Shh, Ned! She’s just checking now.”_

Charlotte cleared her throat, “Isabella? Hello?”

_“Yes! I’m here.”_

“I can do Wednesday night.”

_“Oh! That’s fantastic – I’ll text you the information in a minute then.”_

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and when they had said goodbye, Charlotte hung up and slowly laid the phone face down on the table.

From her chair, Lucy leaned forward and laid a hand on Charlotte’s knee.

“Have you completely lost your mind?”

Charlotte stared at nothing and in a voice that sounded far away, she said, “Yes, I think I might have.”

* * *

_ **Isabella** _

In front of the mirror Isabella took one last look at her reflection and let out a long breath. She had spent the day inside, answering only a few emails and recollecting herself after returning to her home in London the day before.

There had been an idea to do something with her hair tonight; maybe let it out and add a few curls, or try her best at a pretty braid, but while she had been applying her makeup and realized that she didn’t feel wearing very much, the casual hairdo she had done before her shower, had suddenly been perfect. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and as she pushed a lock back behind her ear, she glanced at the suitcase lying behind her.

It was by the end of her bed, opened and ruffled. When she had returned yesterday, the only thing she had managed to do, was to pull out her toiletry bag with the intent of unpacking the rest the next day.

But when she had looked at it again earlier that morning, she had just shrugged and let it be. Normally, she would have unpacked everything to restore order to her surroundings, but today, she just couldn’t be bothered. Her mind was occupied with something else.

_Charlotte._

They were meeting tonight and Isabella was beyond excited.

On the door of her closet hung a dress that she had also had an intention of wearing, but after stepping out of the shower and running her hand across the soft silk, it just hadn’t felt right. So instead, she had pulled on a simple pair of slacks and a black turtleneck.

When she locked the front door a little later and stepped into the waiting car outside, she felt as though she had left her nervousness at home together with the dress.

Ned had suggested a restaurant and had arranged everything from the moment she had agreed to it. Apparently, it was owned by one of his friends and when Isabella had expressed concern of whether she would be able to go there without having too many people stare while she ate, he had crossed his heart and said that she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

The ride wasn’t very long, and when Fred pulled the car up in front of the place, Isabella laughed. It immediately made her think of her favorite restaurant in New York. The Italian place that her, Ned and John always got their food from.

And here she was, in front of a little brick building squeezed in between two larger and more imposing ones. People outside walked by as though they didn’t even see the place. There were curtains in the windows and a soft warm light shined out of them and onto the street.

Fred had stepped out of the car and opened the door for her. It was cold and dark out, but not raining like it had been in New York. London was frostier and clearer, and after she had bid Fred goodnight with a promise of writing him when she needed to be picked up again, she enjoyed the fresh air and sighed.

Charlotte wasn’t outside and thinking that the cold would make quick work of her if she waited too long before she went in, Isabella stepped through the doors and was immediately greeted by a woman who was almost as tall as herself.

“Hello, I have a reservation,” Isabella began, but the woman simply waved her hand and smiled.

“Ned told me you would be coming tonight.” she said and gestured behind her, “Please - follow me.”

Surprised, Isabella followed the woman into the restaurant.

It was a small, dimly lit place with hard wooden floors and a low ceiling. There were a few other guests placed around the restaurant, and every table was covered with a white tablecloth and had a white candle dripping wax onto the glass bottles they stood in. The air was filled with aromas drifting out of an unseen kitchen somewhere, and a comfortable chatter and low music wrapped the place up in a cozy atmosphere.

“I’ll be joined by someone shortly,” Isabella said to the woman who was walking a few feet in front of her. She turned her head over her shoulder and with a smile said, “Oh - the other party has already arrived.”

Isabella quickly ran a hand over her hair and tried to collect herself.

_Was she late? _She looked down at her watch. _No – right on time._

They quickly reached the end of the room, and there, in a corner, sitting at a little table, was Charlotte. She was looking down at a menu and hadn’t noticed them approaching. In her hand was a glass of wine, and when she brought it up to her lips, she also looked up and directly at Isabella.

Hello”, Isabella breathed.

“Oh... Hi!” Charlotte said and sounded a little startled. She quickly abandoned the wine and stood up to greet Isabella who took the last few steps to reach her.

“It’s lovely to see you.” Isabella said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Charlotte blinked and looked as if she hadn’t really expected Isabella to show up.

“Likewise,” she said in a soft voice and when she slowly sat back down again, Isabella was relieved to see a broad smile spread on her face. Maybe she was happy to see her.

Isabella slid her jacket off her shoulders, laid it onto the back of her chair and sat down. She had already forgotten about the tall hostess, who reminded her of her presence when she gave her a copy of the menu Charlotte had been looking over.

“Can I get you something to drink while you look at the menu?” she asked and folded her hands in front of her.

Isabella eyed the glass standing in front of Charlotte, “What are you having?”

“Oh – um - I’m not sure,” Charlotte spluttered and looked up at the hostess, “You recommended something? What was it called?”

“Oh, yes - you’re having the Blanc de Blanc.”

“I’ll have the same,” Isabella quickly decided and regarded Charlotte; her cheeks were a lovely pink color and as she sat there in the soft candlelight, Isabella would be sad to go anywhere else, anytime soon - so she quickly added, “In fact – let’s have a bottle – and some water, please.”

The woman left them with a smile, and Isabella folded her hands and rested her chin on them.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting?”

Charlotte looked down to her glass and shook her head, “Oh no, not at all – I almost just arrived myself.”

Isabella hummed and observed the woman sitting in front of her again; Charlotte was wearing a pretty white silken blouse, and in her hair was a velvet headband in a cold pink color that matched the discreet lipstick on her lips. She looked delightfully relaxed and sweet. But as it oftentimes can be, tiredness is a difficult companion to hide. And Isabella thought that Charlotte was accompanied by a great deal of it tonight.

“Did you have a long day at work?”

“It wasn’t so bad”, Charlotte answered quickly, and Isabella got the feeling that she had been right.

Taking a sip of her wine, Charlotte shrugged, “It was just back and forth to Spain really.”

Isabella was about to ask where in Spain, when Charlotte waved her hand and with a bright smile said, “But enough about that – how was New York?”

Their wine was brought over and after a short look at the menu, they decided to share something that Isabella hadn’t eaten in a restaurant in...

Well – ever.

_Pizza._

“I’ve never been in here before,” Charlotte said and poured wine into Isabella’s glass. It had a golden, almost clear color, hinting that it would be crisp and fruity.

Isabella took her glass and held it out towards Charlotte.

“Neither have I.”

She softly clinked their glasses together before they both drank, and her mouth was soon filled with a round, exquisite taste, accompanied by hints of green apples. 

“Oh my god – “, she gushed and took the wine out of its ice bucket to inspect it with wide eyes.

Charlotte sat her glass back down and laughed, “I would have told you how good it is, but I wanted to see your face.”

“It’s incredible!”

“Yes, I’m warning you;” Charlotte grinned, “if the food’s just as good, I might never want to leave.”

“I don’t blame you!”, Isabella took another sip of her wine and felt her stomach warm, “But in that case, I’ll stay right here with you – I wouldn’t want to leave without you.”

The compliment didn’t go unnoticed and was rewarded with a sweet chuckle from Charlotte.

_And it was true, _Isabella thought, as she stared at Charlotte. She really did not want to go anywhere tonight without her. Isabella didn’t know what it was, but something about Charlotte made her feel so young and adventurous - and _that_ was something she would seek after for as long as she possibly could; as one moves with the rays of an autumn sun.

Not long after, their food arrived, and a large wooden board was placed in the center of their little table. On it, lay a rustic looking pizza; with a crust adorned with golden charred bubbles and a center with cheese, sauce and fresh basil.

“This looks divine,” Charlotte sighed, and reached out to take a slice.

Isabella couldn’t agree more and looked down to her empty plate where the cutlery was lying. In front of her, Charlotte was already blowing on the steaming pizza hanging in her hand.

“Do we just... Use our hands?” Isabella asked and felt silly.

“Yes, I think so - or are you trying be fancy?” Charlotte teased and carefully took a bite.

“So what if I am?”, Isabella huffed and dusted off her hands,

“Then there won’t be any left for you,” Charlotte took another bite and wriggled her eyebrows, “– because this is amazing.”

Isabella reached to take a slice for herself, and when she sunk her teeth into the cheesy top of the pizza, she let out a satisfied hum. It was delicious. The creaminess of the cheese and freshness of the herbs on the crispy but still doughy bread, was simply to die for. And when she swallowed her bite and downed it with wine, the peppery taste of the food together with the fruitiness of the wine, made her mouth water for more.

“Well, then that’s decided,” she laughed, “this is our new home.”

With Charlotte, she never once thought about time; tonight, there wasn’t any plans to catch a plane or any paperwork waiting. How long they had been in the restaurant, didn’t matter. Their plates and the empty wooden board had been taken away, the wine in the bottle had gradually sunk, and any plans for tomorrow, or any other time, were distant.

So, when the hostess came over and told them that the kitchen would soon be closing, they both looked surprised.

While Charlotte ordered the very last lemon pudding the kitchen had, Isabella noticed that the candle on their table had burned down, and that they were almost the only ones left in the restaurant.

The wine made her feel light and relaxed, and when dessert arrived and they shared its heavenly taste together, Isabella wasn’t surprised when Charlotte laid her hand palm upward on the table and looked at her with a glint in her eye. Isabella didn’t have to think twice before she took it.

With Charlotte’s hand in hers, wine swimming through her veins, and nerves calmed by the presence of a person who made conversation flow effortlessly, Isabella wanted to stay like that forever.

Only, there was something she couldn’t stop thinking about.

No matter how sweet or captivating Charlotte was, Isabella had to concentrate _hard_ to not let her curious eyes wander down to her lips. Those lips that had been on hers. The feeling that Charlotte’s kisses could start in her. What she wouldn’t give to just have her a little closer now. When only holding her hand made her stomach flutter in the most wonderful way.

Charlotte was looking at her with shimmering eyes and took a breath before she said, “I thought a lot about you when you were in New York.”

“I thought a lot about you too”, Isabella immediately said and thought it was the truest thing she had ever admitted.

“Really?”

She squeezed Charlotte’s hand and bit her lips, “Yes. Very much.”

When time came to pay, and Isabella prepared herself to beat Charlotte to the check, she found that there was no need.

“It’s on the house.” the hostess said, and when Isabella started to object, she was interrupted when the woman told her, “Don’t worry. Ned will explain.”

Outside the restaurant, Isabella suddenly realized what leaving really meant.

_Was this the end of her evening with Charlotte? _

They were standing on the empty sidewalk with shoulders already hunched up from the freezing weather. Charlotte wasn’t in her usual, and somewhat silly jacket, and it seemed that she was paying the price for it. Tonight, she was in a dusty green, knee long, woolen coat that was beautiful. But judging from her shivering, it didn’t look warm enough.

Isabella reached out a hand and took Charlotte’s in hers, “Where’s your funny coat?”

Charlotte laughed and took a step closer to her.

“I’m imagining,” she said as she came to stand dangerously close in front of Isabella, “that it’s being burned by my sister as we speak.”

“Oh dear,” Isabella gasped and smiled. Underneath her own jacket her heart had quickened its pace.

“However will you keep warm without it?”

Charlotte let out a melodramatic sigh and looked up and straight into her eyes, “I’m not exactly sure. Do _you_ have any ideas?”

Isabella swallowed. Charlotte could be so forward.

“I – um,” she stammered and damned herself for not being wittier. This would have been a good time to try and tease a little back, but having Charlotte so close, made her mind go blank and any original thought disappear.

Charlotte didn’t break eye contact and was giving her a smile while she bit her lips. _I__t really wasn’t fair._

“The car’s probably right around the corner -”, Isabella finally managed to stammer, “and if you’re feeling cold maybe we could – um –“

“Yes?” Charlotte hummed in a low voice and let a hand run slowly over the lapels of Isabella’s jacket.

It was like Isabella was back on the street on New Year’s Eve all over again. When Charlotte had said things that she had longed to say herself. And done things that she hadn't even knew she wanted.

And what she longed for right now, was simply _more _of Charlotte. What that involved, she would have to figure out later. So, she threw all caution to the wind and with a hammering heart, asked, “Would you like to come home with me?”

Before her, Charlotte smiled and whispered, “I would love to.”


End file.
